Condor: SIngles 2017-2018 12” (Beach Impediment) Condor is a one-man project by Maxime from Rixe, and this debut vinyl collects two cassingles released over the past two years. If you’re skeptical about the whole demo-on-vinyl thing, let me assure you that the music collected here is among the most memorable and exciting punk music to come through here as of late. When I first heard Condor I wondered why they were a new project because they didn’t seem that different from Rixe; both are oi! bands that sing in French and are indebted to their country’s long tradition of oi! music. However, aside from two fast, Partisans-style UK82 tracks, Condor distinguish themselves from Rixe by being much more melodic. While the vocals are still gruff, the bass and guitar carry a lot more melody than they do in Rixe. Nowhere is this clearer than on the standout track, “Chacun Pour Soi,” which has not one but two classic melodic lead riffs. These riffs are so catchy that I could imagine them being used in a 90s melodic hardcore song by a band like Ten Foot Pole or Good Riddance, but you won’t find any clicky kick drum or whiny vocals here. I’ve loved everything Rixe has put out, but this Condor stuff might be even better.

Institute: Readjusting the Locks 12” (Sacred Bones) Latest 12” EP from this now-veteran punk band. While I’m suspicious of newer bands playing in a post-punk style, Institute never seem like a throwback. They always push their sound forward in interesting ways and always have intriguing lyrics that tackle contemporary topics rather than collaging together tropes from old records. While Institute’s previous record, 2017’s Subordination, was their most ambitious release, Readjusting the Locks is, on the whole, a more straightforward rock / punk-oriented record. When I imagine Institute’s guitar sound, I think of something like the snaky melodic lines of Zounds or Crisis, but most of the songs on Readjusting the Locks rely heavily on power chords. When combined with their loose and swingy drumming, this choice gives many of these tracks a Kinks-esque garage flavor. While this sound is new for Institute, it’s not the record’s only mode. There are also tracks like the hardcore of “St. John’s Wort” and the closer “Deadlock,” the most melodic Institute song to date. I wouldn’t call Readjusting the Locks my favorite Institute record, but they remain one of the most interesting and vital bands in the current punk scene, and everything they do is well worth your attention, this release included.

Game: No One Wins 12” (Beach Impediment) After a flexi in 2017, London’s Game offer up their debut full-length. While Game’s flexi felt like an homage to mid to late 80s Japanese hardcore, No One Wins is a more distinctive and confident statement. Japanese hardcore is still an influence, but aside from the strong Death Side vibes on the closing “Foundation & Empire,” these tracks employ a more metallic riffing style reminiscent of Gastunk and Sacrilege. While the riffs are metallic, the songs are dense and ripping, making this a hardcore punk record through and through. Another way in which Game come into their own on No One Wins is Ola’s vocal style. Like the music, it’s a hardcore punk style, but there’s something about her phrasing and pronunciation that sound like no one else. Unique, creative, aggressive, great sound and packaging… what more can you ask of a hardcore punk record?

Witchtrial: S/ T 12” (Beach Impediment) After their earlier demo-pressed-to-vinyl here’s a proper debut from DC’s Witchtrial. Witchtrial came out of the gate sounding fully formed on that demo, so it’s no surprise that not a lot has changed on this record, which is great news if you were already a fan. While Witchtrial draws their membership from DC’s fertile hardcore punk scene, they sound like a full-on metal band. I’m sure the members all like looser and punkier metal bands like Hellhammer and Bathory, but Witchtrial doesn’t sound like those bands. I hear little of the grime I associate with death, thrash, black, or other established extreme metal subgenres here either. The songs are mid-paced, complex but not ornate or technical, and played with a precision that approaches clinical. If you can imagine a heavier, tougher version of early 80s Judas Priest played by people who probably own Age of Quarrel, you’re in the ballpark. I wish the band would cut loose and rip a little harder, but if you like your metal dense, precise, and sophisticated you’ll enjoy this.

Mati: S/ T 7” (self-released) Debut 7” from this New York City hardcore band, and it is a ripper. Mati has an aggressive metallic punk sound that sounds like Warthog leaning into their Scandinavian Jawbreaker-era Anti-Cimex influence. The sound is big and heavy and there’s a lot of blistering palm muting and the occasional short guitar solo, but the riffs themselves tend toward the simple and catchy rather than the ornate and technical. The straightforwardness isn’t about cutting corners, but about achieving the maximum level of blunt force impact. Crushing.

LBB: Popped Music 12” (Iron Lung) Iron Lung has a habit of pushing at the edges of what we think of as hardcore punk music, but this disc from LBB is a departure even by the label’s already wide-open standards. From the label’s description, the group improvised the music on these two vinyl sides in real time (they list the instruments as cello, pedal steel, sampler, and computer) and ran them through additional processing afterward. While you might hear the occasional scrape of a cello’s bow or a plucked string, mostly the noises you’ll hear are indiscernible thumps and knocks mixed with Eno / Tangerine Dream-esque swells of pure tone, any or all of which might be run through echo, delay, or other effects. Popped Music sounds like the music you’d hear in the video projection room of a modern art gallery while you watch a grainy and abstract film. It feels fluid and structureless, as sounds, rhythms, and melodies drift into and across one another. It’s a little unsettling, but it’s also gripping from moment to moment, even on repeated listens. This is not for everyone and it’s certainly not hardcore punk, but I love it. If you consider yourself on the more adventurous end of Iron Lung’s audience there’s a good chance you’ll love it too.

Scrap Brain: Journey Into Madness 12” (Thrilling Living / Drunken Sailor) After an earlier 7” we get a debut full-length from the UK’s Scrap Brain. I was interested in Scrap Brain’s previous 7”, but I never gave it time to sink in. In retrospect, I think the 12” format might be the most appropriate place for Scrap Brain’s dense and wide-reaching music, as it not only allows the band to cover more musical ground but also gives the listener more time to sink deeper into the band’s well of grime. And boy is this record grimy! Scrap Brain’s base mode of operation is a Flipper-inspired lurch, but they rarely just do that. Instead, they augment things with a catchy guitar riff or bass line, unexpected tempo changes (sometimes speeding up to blistering hardcore tempos), and envelop everything in a swirl of chaotic noise that keeps my ear interested even though it’s nothing one might describe as a riff or a melody. It’s not unlike what Violence Creeps did, but noisier, darker, and more frightening. Scrap Brain also have a lot of what I’ll call “expressionistic hardcore” in their sound. I’m thinking of bands like Neon and Mozart who can abandon conventional rhythm and melody, engaging instead in the spontaneous and physical eruption of energy I associate with the most out-there free jazz. Scrap Brain sound like a punk band trying to do a musical version of an abstract expressionist painting, and I love it. Even more impressive is that Scrap Brain can reel it back in and build a more structured context around those moments of pure expression. Journey Into Madness is a wild ride and occasionally a tough listen, but if you like the bands I’ve mentioned, you might be one of the few who can get down with this.

Juma: Selected Works 12” (Bitter Lake) Double LP compiling tracks from presumably obscure early 80s cassette releases by this Japanese project. Juma is right in Bitter Lake’s wheelhouse, playing an out-there and experimental blend of post-punk, Krautrock, no wave, and new age-inspired music. Across Selected Works‘ two LPs you’ll hear everything from new age-y song-oriented material to harsh, grating noise. In fact, when I was listening to the record’s first side-long track, “Enigma,” my girlfriend made me turn it off because one of the main instruments makes a scraping noise that may or may not be actual nails on a chalkboard. I can understand why you wouldn’t want to have that noise foisted upon you, but I was digging the track hard, particularly the trippy, Krautrock-inspired groove underneath the relentless scraping. Fortunately the rest of Selected Works is easier on the ears, exploring the repetitive rhythms and interesting sonic textures I love to zone out to. While this might be one of the most out there releases on Bitter Lake so far, it may well also be my favorite one yet.

Hate Preachers: Bile of Progress cassette (Suck Blood) Second tape from this LA band. I flipped out over their first release and Bile of Progress is even better. With a ripping fast sound that walks the line between the fastest and hardest UK82 punk (think Ultra Violent or the Partisans at their fiercest) and manic USHC like early Poison Idea or Koro. Lofty comparisons, right? Well, the band deserves them because this shreds. As before, I can’t imagine a more perfect recording, with Mike Kriebel (who you might know from engineering all of those Beat Sessions tapes) channeling everything I love about those aforementioned classic recordings. If your current playlist features bands like Nosferatu, Suck Lords, Unix, and Alienation, you need this in your collection.

Subculture: I Heard a Scream 12” (Puke N Vomit) This North Carolina hardcore classic gets an official reissue on Puke N Vomit Records. It’s appropriate that this reissue comes on a California label, because while Raleigh bands like COC and No Labels were indebted to the DC scene, Subculture always sounded more like a California band to me. While the reference to Green Day and Bad Religion in the label’s description is overstating the case, Subculture remind me of early west coast punk bands like Social Distortion, Channel 3, and TSOL in that there’s a lot of British punk in their sound, albeit simplified and sped up. There are a few moments (like “I Thought You Knew” and “Stomp Your Ass”) that edge toward the full-on thrash of early DRI, but Subculture did a great job of balancing energy and complexity on this LP. Revisiting this I’m also impressed with how strong the recording is, heavy and present without sounding slick. Thankfully, this reissue preserves the super cool original artwork and you even get a new insert with photos, flyers, and some liner notes. I know a lot of mediocre 80s punk has seen reissues over the past few years, but this is a great record that’s more obscure than it should be, and Puke N Vomit's reissue is well-executed and faithful.

Judy & the Jerks: Music for Donuts 7” (Thrilling Living) We’ve been following Hattiesburg, Mississippi’s Judy & the Jerks for a few years now, but this is their first vinyl appearance. In retrospect that might be a good thing because, while I already loved this band, Music for Donuts marks a big step up. Not only is the recording clearer, heavier, and more powerful but also the band seems to have locked into their sound, which is somewhere between Warm Bodies’ avant-hardcore and more straightforward 80s-style US hardcore. They covered Gorilla Biscuits on one of their earlier tapes, and their bright and snappy-sounding hardcore has a similar infectiousness (albeit with a lot more bite), but my favorite moments are tracks like “Butter” and “Friends” that feature catchy but blisteringly fast lead guitar riffs. If, like me, you cut your teeth on straightforward hardcore punk but also love all of this new weird punk rock popping up all over the US (read: egg punk), pick this up. But then again, I’ve been telling you to buy everything on Thrilling Living since they started, so hopefully you’re already following that sound advice.

Impulso: Costante Ossessione 7” (Byllepest Distro) Latest record from this Italian band on the Norwegian label Byllepest. With tight playing, a big sound, and adventurous songwriting, Impulso is tailor-made to appeal to the tastes of those of us who follow labels like Iron Lung and La Vida Es Un Mus. If you need your hardcore to rip hard, but you also want some fresh-sounding musical ideas Costante Ossessione will scratch that itch. When they kick into high gear, it’s all about the thrill of speed, but when they slow things down things get even more interesting, weaving between Blazing Eye-type catchy pogo and darker passages with creepy-sounding lead guitar. Excellent stuff.

Guilt Parade: Guilted Palace of Sin 7” (Alternatives) Debut vinyl from this DC hardcore band featuring a bunch of scene veterans. While there are obvious influences from the worlds of Scandinavian and Japanese hardcore (Framtid’s density and Totalitär’s catchy riffing style come to mind), I think what makes Guilt Parade unique is their ability to light up the dance floor with a crushing mid-paced part. “Victim Insane,” “B.B.T.B.,” and “G.P. (Reprise)” sound like a wall of death coming right at you, and as with Torso these moments serve as a reprieve from the all out attack. Bruising.

Unarm: The Voice from Forced Silence 7” (Adult Crash) Latest EP from these Japanese punks. Looking at their Discogs page it surprised me to see they’ve been putting out releases since 2006. It’s not surprising that Unarm are veterans because The Voice from Forced Silence exhibits a well-honed band that has figured out their sound and how to execute it. I like how Unarm combine elements of chaotic Japanese hardcore like D-Clone or Zyanose with the more dramatic sound of Burning Spirits-style hardcore. That ability to go way out there (there’s even a wild bass solo at the start of the B side!) and then pull it back to something straightforward and powerful is special. When you wrap it up in a burly recording, you have a record that is well worth your time.

Hag: Be My Filth 7” (Byllepest Distro) Second 7” from this gnarly Swedish band. While Hag is a big and burly sounding hardcore band at their core, they stand out because their vocalist and guitarist are particularly strong. While no one would mistake this for anything but hardcore, there’s a subtle rock-and-roll undercurrent to the riffing, often manifesting itself as a catchy lead riff that wouldn’t sound out of place on Damaged. The vocalist is also great, one of those people who sounds genuinely pissed off. Furthermore, they build the songs choruses around simple repeated phrases (like the title track, “Be My Filth”), which means you’re singing along by the second listen. Excellent stuff.

Axe Rash: S/T 12” (Adult Crash) More Swedish hardcore courtesy of the great Adult Crash label. Listening to Axe Rash I can’t help but think of Sorry State favorites Torso, as both bands have a dense, intricate, and pissed-off sound. Like all of Torso’s records, Axe Rash’s debut has a clear and powerful recording that seems to smash into your ears with the force of a ball peen hammer, and their vocalist sounds like they’ve swallowed all the world’s evil just to regurgitate the bile-soaked mess back at you. The riffing is intricate and catchy (there’s no way Totalitär isn’t a direct influence), and the playing is razor sharp. It’s a relentless assault until “Just Like Me” slows things down a hair, allowing the guitarist to pull a few extra tricks out of their bag and close the record on a high note. Ripping!

Spraut: Det Smutsiga Livet 7” (Adult Crash) Even more Swedish hardcore punk from Adult Crash! To me Spraut sounds less like the classic bands from their country and more like the contemporary Texas bands exploring that sound, particularly Vaaska and Impalers. The first track could almost be a Vaaska song, right down to the vocalists’ cadence. Like those bands, Spraut also love a ripping guitar solo and know their way around a crushing mid-paced part. There isn’t much here that’s out of the box for the sound, but it has a great recording, it’s well-composed and the playing is tight and powerful.

Purple X: S/T 7” (Byllepest Distro) Debut EP from this band from Oslo, Norway. The label’s description compares Purple X to Crazy Spirit, and I can see where they’re coming from; like Crazy Spirit’s best stuff, this record sounds like a dense swirl of noise, but it’s also catchy at the same time. Unlike Crazy Spirit, though, Purple X’s music is dense and intricate, reminding me of Polish legends Post Regiment in the way they can play super complex stuff at blistering tempos but keep it tight enough to be catchy. For me the highlight is the brooding, TSOL-esque “Daddy Issues,” but this whole EP is top notch. Highly recommended.

L.O.T.I.O.N.: World Wide W.E.B. 12” (Toxic State) When I wrote about Rakta’s latest album a few weeks ago I noted how the artwork stoked my anticipation, subtly signaling a big step forward for the band. One could say the same thing about World Wide W.E.B., as the murky, DOS-green color scheme of L.O.T.I.O.N.’s earlier vinyl releases has given way to something much more sophisticated and eye-catching. I can’t stop staring at the cover of this record. While there are clear influences (namely Soldier of Fortune magazine and the Terminator movies), they’re combined in a fresh and exciting way and executed flawlessly. The music is no less gripping. While L.O.T.I.O.N.’s tracks on the split with Scumputer were a wash of grey, World Wide W.E.B. sounds dense, dynamic, and powerful. There’s so much to love here—the inventive beats and rhythms, the catchy guitar and bass riffs, the grossly distorted vocals, and how they can all blend into one of the most punishing all-out assaults in my record collection—and each track combines these elements in a new and exciting way. While some songs recall the nightmare sounds of out-there industrial groups like S.P.K. or Whitehouse, others veer into the dance-y (I.C.B.M.) and even the anthemic (“Unplugged”). I’m a sucker for big, ambitious artistic statements, and World Wide W.E.B. not only swings for the fences, but knocks the ball out of the park.

Gonzo: Do It Better Again 12” (Anti-Fade) Second album from this Australian band, though it’s the first time I’ve heard them. With a pronounced Neu-type Krautrock groove, Gonzo reminds me of Light Up Gold-era Parquet Courts, Uranium Club, and Eddy Current Suppression Ring’s less pop-oriented songs. I love this sound—it’s propulsive, energetic, meditative, and melodic all at the same time—but you have to be a great band to pull it off. First off you need an outstanding drummer, but everyone in the band needs to be a metronomically tight but very restrained player. Gonzo, despite their name, have all of these. They also have a great vocalist and one of the best-sounding recordings I’ve heard, all of which contribute to Do It Better Again being a perfect record for a warm spring day like the one we’re having here in North Carolina right now.

Corner Boys: Waiting for 2020 12” (Drunken Sailor) After two 7”s here’s the debut album from this Vancouver punk band. Waiting for 2020 has UK 1978 written all over it. Like the Lurkers, the Users, or the Cortinas, Corner Boys attack their music with rambunctious energy and an obvious love for simple and catchy pop songs. While the vocalist is monotone and the rhymes can be leaden, the lack of professional polish only increases the record’s charm. And when they hit upon a striking melody (like the lead guitar riff in the Undertones-esque “Norman”) you root for them like they’re an underdog team. That’s not to say that Corner Boys are sloppy and amateurish, rather that there’s a human touch to their music I very much appreciate. If you loved ’77 throwback from the early 00s (particularly the Briefs) but eventually found that sound too polished, this is well worth a listen.

Negative Space: Cruelty 12” (Drunken Sailor) Second 12” from this excellent UK hardcore / post-punk band. Their brand of heavy, anarcho-fueled post-punk (or is it the other way around?) might not be what we expect from Drunken Sailor (a label like Iron Lung or La Vida Es Un Mus would seem more appropriate), but hopefully copies of this record find their way into appreciative hands. If you like Bad Breeding, Institute, and/ or Ex-Cult your hands may qualify as such, because Cruelty sounds kind of like those three bands thrown into a blender. Like Institute and Ex-Cult they’re fond of riding a groove for a long time without getting monotonous, and as with Bad Breeding they layer distorted, echo-drenched whooshing noises over their jams. It’s sort of like if Flux of Pink Indians jumped on stage at a Gang of Four gig and everyone locked into a dense and psychedelic super-jam. My only complaint about Cruelty is that it’s so short, but it’s always a good policy to leave the audience wanting more.

Ausmuteants: Present the World in Handcuffs 12” (Anti-Fade) For a while there you couldn’t walk into your local record store without tripping over a new Ausmuteants release, but the band has been quiet for the past couple of years. The World in Handcuffs breaks the silence, and I think it’ll please existing fans while also giving them something a little different. Ausmuteants is very much the same band playing the same jittery, confrontational synth-punk that gained them worldwide popularity, but this album feels a little more mature. The tempos are less manic, the songs more varied, and the big, melodic synth lines that used to be Ausmuteants’ calling card sit further back in the mix. Most interestingly, this is a concept record from a cop's perspective. The ten tracks on the album present a three-dimensional portrait, but it’s clear that the author is not a fan. Another noteworthy fact about this record is that the same music appears on both sides, albeit in a different running order and one side has skits and the other doesn’t. When I read this, I thought said skits would be long and/or annoying, but they aren’t. I prefer the side without the skits, but only because the running order seems to have a more natural ebb and flow to it. Even if you feel like you already have enough Ausmuteants records in your collection, I’d encourage you to check this out if you’re a fan, as it shows the band progressing without losing what you liked about them.

Brandy: Clown Pain 7” (Total Punk) While this is Brandy’s second 7”, this is the first time I’ve heard them and I know virtually nothing about them. Their meat and potatoes garage-punk is a good fit for Total Punk’s roster, though. While these two songs aren’t brimming with surprises, they’re built around cool riffs and vocal melodies, the playing is loose and full of swagger, and the recording has noise rock levels of density. This is the kind of record that seems to go in one ear and out the other, but then when you’re humming one of the tracks three days later you realize it’s awesome and it secures a place in your regular rotation.

Knowso: Like a Buzz 7” (Total Punk) In case you don’t know, there are three bands—Knowso, Perverts Again, and Cruelster—that share members and have a similar sound, which is one of the weird, most distinctive, and most fascinating sounds in contemporary punk. They use stiff rhythms comparable to early Devo and they share that band’s dark sense of humor, but they sound nothing like the Coneheads or other contemporary bands who rep their Devo influence. You just have to hear them to understand, and either you’ll dismiss this whole crew as total idiots or you’ll hail them as the geniuses they are and greet each new release with Christmas morning levels of excitement. I’m in the latter camp. This music is so unique, but aside from saying it’s great I can never seem to find the words to describe how cool it is. So give this a listen. If you like it, there’s more where this came from. And hopefully this crew will continue to bend our minds for a long time.

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https://www.sorrystaterecords.com/blogs/news/record-of-the-week-no-negative-the-last-offices-lp2019-05-09T10:32:40-04:002019-05-09T10:32:41-04:00Record of the Week: No Negative: The Last Offices LPDaniel Lupton

No Negative: The Last Offices 12” (Drunken Sailor) Second album from this Canadian band and man it’s killer! While we’ve carried records from No Negative before, none of them made a lasting impression on me, but The Last Offices knocked me out immediately. Well, not immediately, because the first track, “Message from the Archfiend,” is a weird start to the record. With tremolo-picked guitars and a gloomy atmosphere, it’s pretty much a black metal song, though no one would describe No Negative as black metal. Maybe it’s just a palette cleanser to clear away any expectations, because from there on this record is a real genre-bender. Bringing together elements of hardcore, noise rock, 60s psychedelia, post-punk, and Krautrock, The Last Offices doesn’t feel as if it belongs to any genre. The closest comparison would be Butthole Surfers, another band obsessed with going in a lot of different directions, but no matter which one they happen to be heading toward, they go deeper and further than anyone else. Standout moments include the warped lead guitars in “Lawfucker,” the gripping spoken vocals in “Transmission from the Black Hole,” and the stuttering rhythm of “Hindrance of Grace.” Recommended if you like your punk rock dense, weird, and drugged out.

D7Y: S/T 12” (Iron Lung) Debut vinyl from this new Icelandic band featuring members of Daudyflin and ROHT. I love that in 2019 we’re all just sitting around listening to artsy Icelandic hardcore like it’s no big deal. What a world we live in! Anyway, D7Y lies somewhere in the gulf between Daudyflin’s progressive hardcore and ROHT’s bleak, aggressive noise. They’re more straightforward and hardcore than either, but D7Y’s music is still pretty out there by the standards of contemporary hardcore. My favorite track is the first one, “Martraðaveröld,” which starts with a manic, Confuse-esque pogo beat while the guitarist wails pure Albert Ayler-style nonsense over it. From there the record covers a surprising amount of ground in its short run-time, with moments edging toward Broken Bones-esque metallic hardcore, more chugging later Cimex-style parts, and plenty of straightforward bashing. Throughout D7Y seems to teeter right on the edge of chaos, making this is a gripping listen all the way through.

Diät: Positive Distintegration 12” (Iron Lung) This record has been out for a bit, but vinyl has been so scarce that we haven’t had copies in stock long enough for me to write about it. As I’m writing this, the second press has sold out from the label, so this record’s momentum shows no signs of abating. Which makes sense, because this album rules. When I first listened to Positive Disintegration I worried that it wasn’t as good as their previous record, Positive Energy, but if I remember correctly that one was a grower too. While they’re a melodic and pop-oriented band, Diät is sneaky with their hooks. They layer each song with so much rhythmic and melodic complexity it can take a few listens for your ear to make sense, but once it does each track is like a feast, with as much killer, memorable music as most bands spread across an entire album side. I could spend all day highlighting brilliant moments like the intertwining guitar lines on “Foreign Policy” or the electronic gurgling on “W.I.G.T.D.W.M?” because the album is chock full of them. I also want to point out the track “Missed the Bus,” which finds guitarist Josh Neutron sharing vocal duties. If you liked Josh’s Itchy Bugger LP that came out last year you’ll be all over “Missed the Bus.” I can’t praise this record enough. Certainly it's one of the best of 2019 so far.

Death Strike: Fuckin’ Death 12” (Me Saco Un Ojo) Re-release of this cult 80s death metal demo on London’s Me Saco Un Ojo label. Death Strike was a short-lived project featuring Paul Speckmann from Master. Death Strike’s 1985 Fuckin’ Death demo, collected on the a-side of this LP, is a crucial piece of early death metal’s history, and if you love the sound of first-generation American death metal, it should be in your collection in some form. While there’s still one foot planted in Slayer’s world of dark, heavy thrash, Death Strike inject Venom-style looseness and Celtic Frost-inspired brutality into the equation and inch American underground metal a little further toward the definitive death metal sound. The b-side of the LP is another Death Strike session recorded in 1991, and while these tracks benefit from a thicker sound and more sophisticated songwriting and arrangements, they’re still coming from the same place. Essential listening for all you metalheads.

Shit Coffins: Termination 12” (Iron Lung) Hardcore is a young person’s game, so when I saw that Shit Coffins featured members of No Statik and Talk Is Poison I wasn’t jumping out of my chair to grab it. My mistake, because this RIPS. If you’re a fan of Talk Is Poison and Deathreat, you need to grab this record because it has a very similar sound to those bands’ classic records, and it’s just as good. Those bands always felt like a reaction against the artsy and progressive direction that underground hardcore went in the 90s, getting back to the genre’s roots in pure, seething anger. While Shit Coffins’ context is different, they’re just as pissed. The recording is big and burly, and while there are a handful of mid-paced parts (side note: the drummer’s habit of using a disco beat during mid-paced parts gives them a unique, Killing Joke-type feel), you’re never a few seconds away from a full-bore assault when you’re listening to Termination. This band isn’t trying to impress you, and they aren’t trying to follow any kind of trend; they’re just embodying pure savagery.

Khiis: Bezoar 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) After an earlier 7” on Distort Reality, Oakland, California’s Khiis make the jump to the great La Vida Es Un Mus label for their debut LP. While I don’t want to make Khiis seem like a soundalike or derivative, Bezoar’s approach and execution are similar to fellow Bay Area rippers Torso. Like Torso, Khiis combine intricate, Totalitär-inspired riffing with big, pit-worthy mosh parts, wrapping the whole thing in production that’s so clear and heavy it’s almost (but not quite!) slick. They handle both the songwriting and the production with the care and precision of a master carpenter; there isn’t a note that sounds illogical or out of place, and every instrument has its own precise frequency range in the mix, rendering every sound Khiis makes clear and audible. My ear gravitates toward the moments when Khiis expands on the formula, like the haunting melodic guitar lead that closes the LP, but you could drop the needle anywhere on this record and find the band ripping it up. If you’re a fan of airtight, meticulously constructed hardcore records like Torso’s Sono Pronta a Morire or Blood Pressure’s first LP you’ll love this.

Jackal: S/ T 7” (Painkiller) After an earlier demo (which we still have in stock as I’m writing this), Florida’s Jackal deliver their debut vinyl on Painkiller, and it is a total rager. It’s fitting that Jackal share their name with YDI’s frontman, because this 7” has a similar quality to the blind rage-out that is that band’s legendary A Place in the Sun EP. The recording is super raw (with audible tape his between the tracks), but somehow this doesn’t dilute the band’s power. The drums are full of that analog crunch, which accentuates how Jackal can move from a Negative Approach-style ripping part to a punky riff that reminds me of the first 86 Mentality EP to a blistering, hyper-speed convulsion a la Straight Ahead. The record doesn’t have an ounce of fat and it’s over before you know it. Highly recommended if you ride for the early 80s USHC sound.

EEL / Radioactive: Guilt by Association 7” (Doomed to Extinction) EEL’s Night Parade of 100 Demons LP was one of my favorite records of 2017, taking the classic Kyushu noise-punk sound to new, more psychedelic places, so I was very excited to hear new material from them. Their three tracks here do not disappoint! The formula is largely the same. EEL would be a great hardcore band with just drums, bass, and vocals, but when they add in their element of harsh noise over that rock-solid foundation it shoots them into the stratosphere. Japan’s Radioactive aren’t as texturally rich, but they’re great too. While they have the classic Disorder-style dentist drill guitar, they also seem to take a lot from classic Japanese hardcore, dirtying up the sound of early Paintbox or DSB with harsh noise-punk elements.

Rakta: Falha Comum 12” (Iron Lung) I’ve liked all of Rakta’s previous releases, but Falha Comum is one of those Wizard of Oz moments in a band’s history when they seem to step miraculously from monochrome into a world of full color. Even before they released Falha Comum I could see the record’s ambitious artwork signified a leap forward, but it hardly prepared me for the music’s brilliance. It’s like the band said “we’re tired of fucking around… we’re going to make the best music ever and we will not waste a single second of the listener’s time.” Falha Comum is a 36-minute, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride. Even though I’ve listened to it at least 20 times now, every time I put it on I sit upright and hang on every note like Rakta is delivering the sermon on the mount. Stylistically, Rakta have drifted away from their early post-punk sound, arriving at something that reminds me of a mix between Boy Harsher or Adult.’s dark and propulsive electronic dance music and Can or PiL’s psychedelic groove explorations. However, this record is so much more than a genre exercise or a deft melding of influences; those are merely ballpark sonic reference points. Interestingly, Rakta clusters the record’s more difficult material on side A. These songs are rhythmically minimal, drifting between musique concrete and dense noise / power electronics, only giving you an occasional beat or bass line to grab on to. Side A challenges the listener, priming us for an immersive, attentive listening experience. Once you’re ready, they unleash side B, where they lay down thick grooves and stretch each track like it’s an extended 12” dance mix at the coolest club you’ve ever been to in your life. If PiL’s Metal Box is one of your favorite records you’ll love this, particularly because it doesn’t ape PiL’s sound. Just as PiL took Can’s formula and expanded it to include elements of punk and dub reggae, so do Rakta grab PiL’s baton and add elements of noise and electronic dance music. There is not a single note, a single sonic utterance on this disc I do not love, and if anyone tops Falha Comum for the best record of 2019, it will be a great year for music indeed.

UK Subs: Live in Ljubljana 12” (Rest in Punk) Rest in Punk Records typically reissues killer, vintage Yugoslavian punk, but they break that pattern to re-release this ripping 1986 UK Subs live set from Ljubljana, Slovenia. I don’t think the Subs get enough love from modern punkers, and while I wouldn’t suggest starting with this record (instead, I’d recommend their second album, Brand New Age or their 5th, Endangered Species), it’s a fun one for fans. It sounds like an audience recording as you can hear some chatter from the punters between tracks, but it’s clear and you can hear everything pretty well, including the drums. The band is in fine form, plowing through an energetic set heavy on hits like “Warhead,” “I Live in a Car,” “Stranglehold,” and “Teenage.” If you see no value in live recordings you can move along, but if you like good-sounding audience recordings of rip-roaring, vintage punk gigs, this is a keeper.

Social Distortion: Poshboy’s Little Monsters 12” (Radiation) So, this one bears some explanation. Social Distortion’s first single, 1981’s “Mainliner,” was originally meant to be a 4-song 12” EP. Posh Boy Records got as far as making a handful of test pressings for the 12” release, but scrapped those plans and pared it down to the two-song single that lovers of early 80s SoCal punk know and love. Besides the four tracks that would have been on the 12”, the band also recorded two others. Time Bomb Records compiled all six tracks on 1995’s Mainliner (Wreckage from the Past) LP, which also included the songs from the session whose songs ended up on the band’s second and third singles on 13th Story Records. So, this is basically an abridged version of the Mainliner collection, but that record is long out of print and difficult to find. It’s too bad they couldn't include the later session here, but these six songs are great, and there’s something to be said for presenting them as their own coherent release rather than part of a compilation. If you haven’t heard this early Social Distortion stuff, ignore the flaming dice vibes of their later material and give this a try. Then you’ll need everything up to and including their first LP, Mommy’s Little Monster.

No stream for this one, sorry!

Svaveldioxid: Dödsögonblick 12” (Konton Crasher) Second full-length from this bruising Swedish hardcore punk band. If you like Swedish crust from the 80s (early Totalitär, Anti-Cimex, Crude SS, etc.) right on through to the 90s (Skitsystem, Wolfpack, etc.) Svaveldioxid are the band for you. With bruising beats, straightforward Cimex / Totalitär-style riffs, and crunchy, metallic production, they are the best of both worlds. Dödsögonblick is a perfectly executed LP of classic Swedish kängpunk, with slight shifts in tempo and complexity to keep you bobbing your head the whole way through. Svaveldioxid are far from reinventing the wheel, but even if it rates low on the originality scale, this is still a crusher.

No stream for this one either, sorry!

Haram: Where Were You on 9/11? 7” (Toxic State) Latest 7” from this much talked-about New York band. Haram are a very important band for a lot of reasons. Their singer’s perspective as an Arab is one that has been underrepresented in punk and punk-influenced music, and they’re willing to bring that perspective to bear on controversial, even taboo, topics like 9/11. The lyrics to the EPs title track are great, articulating how that event affected the singer as a child attending a Christian school outside New York. Haram’s words are worth pondering, but I wouldn’t give their strength as musicians short shrift. They’ve been a powerful band since they started, but they grow more adventurous with each release. Moments like when the title track winds down to a steady drum pulse and some abstract guitar noodles, or the swirling guitar lead that starts “Bomb in the Sky” are as great as anything on the many great records that Toxic State has released over the years. Haram is, without a doubt, one of the most important bands of this generation of punk, and if you aren’t following them closely, you’re doing it wrong.

Pinocchio: S / T 7” (Toxic State) A lot of the music I enjoy is like comfort food. When I listen to a well-executed d-beat or 80s US hardcore-style record I love knowing the lay of the land and appreciating the subtle variations in sound and style. Listening to this debut EP from New York’s Pinocchio is nothing like that. It’s more like eating an exotic foreign cuisine for the first time, having your tongue light up with flavors and textures you didn’t know were possible and loving every minute. There are eight tracks, most of them quite short, and they all rely on unfamiliar structures and arrangements. The vocals are also very distinctive, a Kate Bush-type maze of unintuitive rhythms and melodies. The music is somehow both minimalist and maximalist, big and loud but with rhythms that come across as sharp and lean. In that way, and many others, this EP reminds me of one of my favorite records (perhaps my favorite record), Wire’s Pink Flag. Brilliant and unique ideas fly past too quickly for the listener to process, all but forcing you into repeated, attentive listens. And just as Pink Flag is anchored by the pop bliss of “Mannequin,” so is “Behind You” the song you can’t wait to get to every time you drop the needle. This is one of those records that’s so good I’m tempted to buy two copies lest I wear out the first one.

Maze: S/T 12” (Lumpy) Debut 12” from this Japanese band. While most Lumpy releases have me breaking out adjectives like “raging,” “raw,” and “weird,” Maze pushes me to reach for words like “haunting,” “evocative,” and “twee.” Is Lumpy growing up? Well, not really… Maze is still primitive and punk-y, but in an early Rough Trade Records kind of way. While the whole record is upbeat and snappy, there’s a woozy, dreamy quality that seems very English (even though the band is Japanese). Whether it’s the early Mekons-esque pop tune “Eight Channels,” the punkier “You Can’t Win,” or the early Joy Division / Warsaw-esque closer “The Cobwebs,” Maze always sounds like they’re not in a hurry to get anywhere. It’s a vibe I don’t hear much from contemporary punk-influenced music, but it’s just as just as interesting and addictive as the bands I mentioned above.

Attack SS: Welcome to Deathdust Island 12” (Distort Reality) Discography-to-date from this Japanese noise-punk band. Calling Attack SS a noise-punk or crasher crust band seems like a disservice because, particularly on the 2012 and 2013 releases collected on the a-side of this LP, they are a shit-hot band that has as much power and flexibility as any legendary Japanese hardcore band. They’ve always ripped, but the a-side tracks (which come from the No Nukes EP and the split with Attack SS, which they must have recorded at the same session) have a clear and powerful sound that highlights the great playing. The drums are big and clear and the bass is thick and burly, the two instruments leaping and lunging in unison a la later-era Gauze, while the guitar is a Kyushu-style wash of white noise. The singer also has an interesting style; I like how on the track “Warning” he yells “AAAAAH!,” a bunch of times, not like a typical punk or hardcore band, but like he’s just been surprised by a big cockroach running across the floor. I know there are a million d-beat bands out there and everyone’s attention span is different, but this is worthy stuff.

No streaming link for this one, sorry!

Protruders: Poison Future 12” (Feel It) Debut vinyl from this Montreal band on the always-reliable Feel It Records. The Protruders’ music, to me at least, sounds like the members have spent a lot of time with the music of the 1970s, whether you’re talking about the primitive art-punk of Electric Eels and Pere Ubu, the psychedelic explorations of Amon Düül II or Hawkwind, or the driving proto-punk of Rocket from the Tomb or the Saints. (Note I’ve stolen most of these references from the label’s description, which is spot-on). I love that they can write a song like “Fruit Hang,” which could have been the a-side to a great 70s punk single on a label like Raw or Chiswick, but they’re so much more than just a pop band. The dense, intertwining chords of the title track are about as Pere Ubu-esque as I’ve heard a band from the 2010s get, and the lazy groove and dense chords on “No Stone” are great too. I don’t love the heavy distortion on the vocals (even if it makes them sound even more like the Electric Eels than they would have otherwise), but that’s a minor quibble. If you're modern punker with a soft spot for the more out-there sounds of the 70s check this out.

Cutie: S / T 7” (Perfect Music Recording Corporation) Debut 7” from this punk band out of New York. With 11 tracks you might think this will be ripping hardcore, but that’s only part of the story. In fact, I’m surprised the band looks so young on the back cover because it sounds like some beamed this record straight from the 90s. While the songs are uniformly short, confrontational, and aggressive, stylistically Cutie blends 90s noise rock with 90s garage like the New Bomb Turks. They’re also catchy, which means they resemble Bleach-era Nirvana at points. This 7” has a lot of music, but the songs come at you machine gun-style like the a-side of Pink Flag, which is a winning recipe in my book.

Crisis Man: The Myth of Moderation 7” (Digital Regress) Second release (and the first on vinyl) from this California punk band. With a fast and punky sound, Crisis Man remind me of bands like Formaldehyde Junkies and Career Suicide that toe the line between amped-up garage-punk and 80s-style hardcore. When they lean a little more toward the garage end of things they can sound like the Dwarves at their most furious, while the more USHC tracks have an Amde Petersen’s Arme energy. I know this description is just a flurry of band comparisons, but what I mean to say is that this is hardcore punk and you’ll like it.

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https://www.sorrystaterecords.com/blogs/news/record-of-the-week-the-world-reddish-122019-04-18T12:56:14-04:002019-04-18T12:56:16-04:00Record of the Week: The World: Reddish 12"Daniel Lupton

The World: Reddish 12” (Lumpy) Somehow I missed the World’s first LP, First World Record. We carried it in the store but it sold out in a flash and we weren’t able to restock it, and I never got around to getting a personal copy to listen to. Shame on me, because Reddish makes me want to do a deep dive to find out all I can about this band. You could describe the World’s sound as groove-oriented post-punk a la Delta 5 / Gang of Four / etc., but they’re so much more than that. Rather than just imitating those bands’ sounds, they share those groups’ affinity for rhythm. Each of the seven tracks on Reddish has a unique, toe-tapping groove, with the band jamming around that groove with a seasoned group’s agility. The guitar, vocals, bass, drums, or saxophone each might take center stage for a moment, then slide out of the spotlight so that someone else can do something interesting. Speaking of the saxophone, rather than the skronky or squeaky sax that most punk-influenced bands have, the World’s saxophone player can play in tune, often harmonizing with the other instruments. This gives the World the harmonic complexity I like from two-guitar bands, but with a unique timbre that sounds like no one but them. The songs cover a lot of stylistic breadth, from the dub-y “Kill Your Landlord” to the pogo-punk “Last Rhodesian,” to the playful, Madness-esque “Jackson 5,” but I love every minute. Wrap it all in a warm but clear recording and you have a real keeper.

Enzyme: Howling Mind 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) After a handful of EPs here the debut 12” from this Australian band, and it’s quite the face ripper. With a sound that combines the best elements of burly and crusty hardcore and Disorder-inspired noise punk, Howling Mind can get a circle pit going while the aesthetes in the back of the room stroke their chins and nod at the psychedelic guitar playing. The closest comparison for Enzyme’s sound is Lebenden Toten, but on this record they seem even less indebted than LT to the classic Kyushu noise-punk sound. Rather than bubbly and melodic, the rhythm section is both agile and crushing, recalling Gauze with its power and precision. However, rather than the guitarist reinforcing those rhythms, they careen into the cosmos, doing their own thing without obscuring the rock-solid foundation. If you’re into bands like Pig DNA or Lebenden Toten’s more recent material I recommend checking this out.

Polo Pepo: San Felipe Es Punk 7” (La Vida Es Un Mus) Re-release of this Mexican punk obscurity. While the original came out in 1988, it sounds more like a product of the 70s. There’s no trace of hardcore here, with its Pistols-influenced snot bringing to mind the meanest and nastiest of first-wave European punk from the 70s. Johnny Thunders riffs, snarled vocals, loose playing… you get the picture. While the music will interest any KBD collector, the packaging is also lovely, particularly the 12-page booklet devoted largely to an interview with Polo Pepo himself (while the printed insert is in Spanish, there’s a link to an online English translation). A cool obscurity more than deserving of this lovingly executed reissue.

Vermis Sum: S/T 7” flexi (Fear of War) Debut flexi from this new hardcore band out of Southern California. Recorded analog and released on a (great-sounding) flexi, Vermis Sum have the warm, compressed sound I always love to hear coming out of my stereo. Even better, they sound like the 80s Japanese punk I love. I hear shades of mid-period Execute, early Gauze, and Masturbation, but it’s hard to tell whether those are actual influences or not because Vermis Sum doesn’t engage in the obvious hat-tipping you see with a lot of retro hardcore bands. While all three tracks are cool, “Perverted Prisoner” is my favorite with its memorable (and, again, very Japanese-sounding) guitar solo. Cool stuff, and limited to 250 copies so don’t expect it to hang around forever.

Mau Maus: Society’s Rejects 12” (Sealed) Sealed Records is a new label dedicated to well-executed official reissues of punk classics, and after kicking things off with Omega Tribe and Zounds they keep things top-notch for this third release, a small vinyl discography from Mau Maus. Before checking this out I was familiar with Mau Maus first EP, Society’s Rejects. According to the (informative and awesome) insert, Mau Maus took inspiration from US hardcore bands like the Dils and the Middle Class, and when you combine this with inevitable influence from their contemporary British punk scene, you get some of the hardest-hitting, most hardcore-sounding vintage UK82 punk, of a piece with standouts like Ultra Violent and the Partisans. I can’t recall hearing the Mau Maus singles after Society’s Rejects, but in this context I like them even better than the first one. While Society’s Rejects isn’t all that primitive, with each successive record the playing gets tighter and the production gets stronger. By the third and fourth EPs they also move past the more basic riffing of their earlier stuff, incorporating some UK Subs influence without dialing back the intensity. Like the Zounds singles discography Sealed released a few months back, this also functions well as a full-length album without the choppiness that can plague compilation releases.

Gai: Rock N Roll History Fuck Off 12” (Gai Best Punk Band Records) Unofficial collection bringing together a bunch of hard to find material from one of the best bands ever to do it, Japan’s Gai. Rock N Roll History Fuck Off combines the Extermination EP, the Damaging Noise cassette and a bunch of compilation tracks. In case you aren’t familiar with their history, Gai started off as one of the harshest, nasties, and noisiest hardcore bands in the history of punk (a title they shared with Confuse, who came from the same city), but they added more melodic influences (from bands like the Toy Dolls and the Adicts), changing their name to Swankys after they decided to pursue that style exclusively. On this LP, Damaging Noise and Extermination (the latter of which is the band’s best stuff IMO) lean toward the more hardcore sound, while the tracks from the Pinch and Ouch! compilation have a cleaner recording and more of the bubbly bass riffs I associate with the Swankys. The sound on this LP is top notch, so if you need some Gai vinyl on your shelf this release is a great place to start without breaking the bank.

Honkas: Das Lied für Fritz 7” (Static Age) Reissue of this 1982 German obscurity with great sound and full reproduction of the original fold-out cover. While by 1982 the US had switched over to hardcore, this five-song EP from Honkas reminds me more of tough, first-generation European punk like the Rude Kids or PF Commando, though fans of better-known bands like the Dead Boys will also see where Honkas is coming from. The mix is odd and uneven (which, for me, adds to the charm of this era and style of punk), giving this the outsider quality I associate with the best KBD punk. They even speed things up for “Kunst,” which has a proto-hardcore sound a la Teen Idles or even Upright Citizens. A deep cut for sure, but if you love ripping, obscure punk this is well worth your time.

Harnröhrer: S/T 7” (Static Age) This record looks like it could have come from Copenhagen in the early 00s, but it’s a reissue from 1982 Germany. Like the Honkas EP that Static Age has also reissued, Harnröhrer play tough and grimy punk that sounds like it’s crawled out of the gutter just to knife you. Whereas the Honkas EP is left-of-center, Harnröhrer is all power with big, clear production and a beefy sound that leaps out of your speakers. The sound is still mid-paced, tough punk, but the chord progressions are dark and there’s simple but haunting lead guitar that reminds me of gloomy 80s California punk like Agent Orange or early Social Distortion. That I’m still discovering things this good after listening to punk for 25 years is a signal that the well may just never run dry.

Disguise: Bas Fada 7” (Static Shock) Latest release from this Dublin d-beat band. If I had to guess, I’d say Framtid is Disguise’s biggest inspiration. Like Framtid, Disguise’s d-beat is fast but not too fast, finding a careful balance between the feedback and cymbal wash that tickles your ears and the pounding rhythms that make your heart beat fast. Interestingly, the drums and vocals sit back in the mix, the music draped in a shroud of fuzz and distortion. At times Bad Fada reminds me more of power electronics than hardcore in how it allows you to submerge your ears in a bath of distortion. You probably have a good idea already whether this record is for you, and you’re almost certainly correct.

Rolex: L cassette (self-released) Latest cassette release from this California band, and it’s a total ripper… the only caveat is that you have to shell out cash and reserve space in your cassette rack for only three minutes of music. The first track, “Turn Your Money Green,” is a wild ride, a fast hardcore song with an odd (but catchy!) drumbeat that makes you feel like you’re drunkenly falling down a flight of stairs. The second track, “Stripes,” backs off the gas just a little and reminds me of one of the classic Career Suicide songs. A total killer even if the cassingle format is a little annoying.

Fatamorgana: Terra Alta 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) Debut vinyl from this Barcelona synth-pop duo composed of Louis from Good Throb / No / Shitty Limits / a million other bands and Patrycja from Barcelona. While both members come from a punk background, you won't find any of that here… this is full-on synth-pop played entirely on synths and drum machines (well, except for the vocals). When music like this is poorly executed it can sound cold, synthetic, and/or flat, but Fatamorgana have none of those problems. The sound is lush and layered, with snappy drums and deep bass. The overall vibe reminds me of a more human, organic-sounding version of early Human League with a dash of Boy Harsher’s noir-tinged futurism, while the songs themselves get buried in your head just as a good pop song should. If you dabble in both punk rock and synth-pop, I can’t recommend this enough.

The Snakes: S/T 12” (Anti-Fade) Debut vinyl from this Australian punk band. While some bands I’ve been hearing from Australia lately have been de-punking their image and sound, this isn’t true of the Snakes. They look like complete mutants on the back cover and the music is suitably aggressive and in your face while still keeping the catchiness that makes us pay attention when labels like Anti-Fade and Aarght! put out something new. They catchy keyboard lines are straight out of circa ’79 Fall, but the music is a little more rock n roll, a little more street, and less intellectual. At their most menacing the Snakes can recall the Screamers, but there’s also something undeniably Australia circa now about it. If you crave a little more grit with your contemporary Australian post-punk, I suspect this will do you nicely.

Matrix: Demo EP 7” (Weirdly) Chicago’s Weirdly record reissues another Chicago-area punk demo on vinyl, and while all of them have been interesting this may well be the best of the bunch. Matrix’s four tracks here split the difference between Coneheads / Liquids-style egg punk and tight, Gauze-inspired hardcore. The odd guitar sound and snotty vocals are part of what made this demo light the YouTubes up a while back, but those of you digging on bands like Nosferatu and Unix will love the lightning-fast tempos and changes. The drumming is out of control, with wild and catchy fills careening off in every direction. Matrix also loves coming to a full stop and letting the drummer do quick stick clicks before they fly back into it. Classic move! While this 7” is short, every second is of the highest quality. And like all the Weirdly releases this is limited so don’t let it pass you by!

Hez: Problemas 7” (World Gone Mad) After an excellent 12” a few years ago here’s a new 7” from Panama’s Hez. As the label’s description notes, there’s a tendency to view hardcore and punk from places whose scenes we aren’t familiar with as somehow inferior, but the wealth of great hardcore from places like Central America and Southeast Asia over the past few years explodes that assumption. Hez is a great example. With strong production values (clear but nowhere near slick) and a style that feels very “on trend” for those of us who follow the world of raw yet progressive hardcore, Hez could be from Barcelona or Los Angeles or Singapore just as easily as Panama. Where Hez excels is in their ability to alternate between simple and brutal and more dissonant, progressive, and surprising. There are plenty of pit-clearing, Blazing Eye-esque pogo parts, but they’re balanced out with denser, more adventurous parts that that incorporate elements of noise and psychedelia. If that sounds like your kind of thing, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Tashme: S/T 7” (High Fashion Industries) Two releases in a row with artwork by Yecatl Peña! This time, though, it’s the debut vinyl from Toronto’s Tashme. This is the first time I’ve heard the band, and after my first listen I thought of Torso, the only other band I can think of that combines raw, Totalitär-inspired hardcore with the huge breakdowns of straight edge hardcore so effectively. Just like Torso, when Tashme plays fast they sound sprightly and light on their feet, which just makes the breakdowns so much heavier when they come crashing down. I think Tashme has also absorbed the meaty, mid-paced riffs perfected by their fellow Torontonians S.H.I.T., which fits well with the overall style and vibe. This is heavy, mean, and packed with riffs… what more can you ask of a hardcore record?

The Cool Greenhouse: Landlords 7” (Drunken Sailor) I was enamored with the Cool Greenhouse’s first single on Market Square (in fact it was our Record of the Week back in June 2018), so I was excited to hear this follow up. It does not disappoint! In case you missed that last single, here’s the skinny on the Cool Greenhouse: they base their sound around a vintage-sounding Casio keyboard, their vocals are flat and deadpan, and their lyrics are of the “slice of life” variety, describing the absurd predicaments we modern humans endure. Despite the markedly different instrumentation, they sound quite a lot like the Fall, which is something I never seem to tire of. The a-side here, “Landlord,” reminds me of the Fall’s “New Face in Hell” in that the narrative is the most memorable part of the song. I get lost in the story (and its brilliant refrain, “my hands are completely tied”), then I remember that I’m listening to a song and when I redirect my attention to the music, I remember how great it is. The b-side, “4 Chan,” is similarly vivid, but the guitar riff that provides the main hook won’t let me forget that I’m listening to music and not reading a short story. Fans of smart, literate punk music like Parquet Courts and Uranium Club should be all over this.

Freak: Ritual Death Demo 7” (Vague Absolutes) Vague Absolutes is a “vanity label” (his words, not mine!) run by Justin from Warthog Speak Records. Their only previous release is a limited 7” by a short-lived band called Index. This 7” by Freak takes a similar tack, taking a four-year-old demo from a long broken-up band who released nothing else (as far as I can tell) and pressing it in a ridiculously limited edition of 107 numbered copies. Why would Justin do such a thing? Well, because the music fucking rules, that’s why! These four songs are raw, nasty, and punk. I could be dismissive and call this anarcho-punk, but that would be a disservice to how original and exciting this music sounds. Some parts are as catchy as the UK Subhumans, others are as heavy and powerful as Conflict, while still others are as sinister and foreboding as the first two Amebix singles. And while I’m listening anarcho bands, there’s also a touch of Dirt’s catchier, almost oi! style on the final track. Despite sounding like these things Freak doesn’t sound like a throwback at all. In fact, I wonder if they’d even be comfortable with me labeling them an anarcho band. They just sound like punk rock: raw, vital, and intense. I encourage you to become one of the 107 lucky people who will own this record.

Freak Genes: III 12” (Drunken Sailor) First we had two records in a row with Yecatl Peña artwork, now we have two bands in a row with the word “freak” in their name. Am I seeing double? Anyway, back to the task at hand: writing about this new LP from Freak Genes. While this is the band’s third LP it’s the first time I’ve heard them and I’m quite impressed! The label’s description made me think this would be cold, dour synthetic pop music a la Wire’s 154 or David Bowie’s Lodger, but honestly I don’t hear either of those things very much on III. What I hear is a songwriting style that resembles what Jay Reatard was doing at the end of his career, when he injected a heaping helping of bright, New Zealand-style pop into his brooding garage-punk. “Strange Light” even sounds suspiciously like “Hammer I Miss You,” one of Jay’s most underrated tracks. Not that Freak Genes are a rip-off; I also hear bits that remind me of Devo (especially the Freedom of Choice-esque ”Breach”) and the whole SoCal drum machine punk thing (S.B.F., Race Car, etc.). The band is adept, adventurous, and great at writing catchy, fun, and memorable songs, and if you find the aforementioned references intriguing I recommend checking them out.

Vile Reality: Demo 2018 cassette (self-released) Demo cassette from this hardcore band out of San Diego, California. We get four short tracks, but there’s a surprising amount of variation here, from the mid-paced, Blitz-esque “Apologist” to meatier “Unrelieved” to the faster “Bootlicker.” The production is clear but raw, with a bass tone that rattles the floor like a Harley pulling into your front driveway. No BS, no pretense, just hardcore punk.

Devo: Turn Around: B-sides and More 1978-1984 12” (Run Out Groove) Limited-edition vinyl compilation bringing together a bunch of rare Devo tracks with luxurious packaging, including a heavy tip-on jacket, a cool embroidered patch, and a sheet of stickers. Devo is one of the greatest bands of all time, and tracks like “Social Fools,” “Turn Around” (famously covered by Nirvana on Incesticide), and “Penetration in the Centrefold” are killer. I have these songs on other releases, but I don’t revisit them often enough and it’s great to hear vintage Devo that I haven’t played to death. I’m sure everyone has their own feelings about the Devo discography, but I’m of the opinion that after the peak of Freedom of Choice the quality drops off for New Traditionalists and Oh No! It’s Devo. To me, those are good-but-not-great albums, and one might say the same thing about the b-sides from those records collected here. So, while this is cool, don’t expect it to knock your socks off like those Hardcore Devo collections. That is a badass patch though…

Uranium Club: The Cosmo Cleaners 12” (Fashionable Idiots) Third album from this Minneapolis band, and I think this is the one where they’ve gone from being an excellent band to a great one. It’s not as if The Cosmo Cleaners is a great leap forward; it still sounds like a Uranium Club record. Uranium Club is one of those bands that has an instantly identifiable sound. In fact, they’ve had that sound since they started releasing music, but The Cosmo Cleaners finds them stretching what they can do with it. The songs are longer (“Interview with the Cosmo Cleaners” stretches to over twelve minutes!), allowing the band to delve deeper into the krautrock-esque, gradually evolving repetition motif they’ve explored since they started. Uranium Club has also had interesting lyrics since they started, but this album offers their best yet. Much like I was saying about the Cool Greenhouse record I also wrote about this week, when I listen to The Cosmo Cleaners I find myself paying more attention to the lyrics than the music, which is rare for me. There are songs I consider all-time favorites I couldn’t tell you more than a few words to, but I get lost in Uranium Club’s lyrics, which can range from surreal narratives to Edward Lear-esque phonetic wordplay. This is also one of the best-sounding records I’ve heard in ages, with a crisp sound that rivals anything you’ll hear from releases on big indie labels like Merge or Matador. I’m having trouble articulating what’s so great about The Cosmo Cleaners. When I first listened to it I said to myself, “yep, this is another Uranium Club record,” but with each subsequent listen I find more to love. I love listening to music, so I get excited by everything from in-the-box genre exercises to off-the-wall experiments. However, The Cosmo Cleaners is a truly great record. It’s so good it’s destined to be a huge commercial success or a cult classic. We’ll leave it to history to decide that, but right now I'll go back to listening.

Science Man: S/T 12” (Swimming Faith) Debut vinyl from this new project which is an alter ego of John Toohill, whom you might also know as the singer for Radiation Risks. While Science Man features a prominent drum machine and might sound at first listen like S.B.F., Race Car, or other drum machine punk bands from the past few years, they have their own thing going on. When some bands use a drum machine, it can sound like a poor stand-in for a live drummer, but Science Man does a good job of playing to the instrument’s strengths, namely the big sound and the ability to create fast and precise rhythms. While the vibe of the music is very different, the way Science Man uses the drum machine as effectively as a band like Big Black. As for the songs themselves, they range from quirky, Warm Bodies-esque weird hardcore (“Love Potent”) to a punky take on 90s noise rock (“Victor”) to Dead Kennedys-esque surf punk (“Before You Know You’re Dead”). The record is super high energy, sounds great, and it’s packed with memorable moments. Definitely a recommended listen, particularly if you’ve enjoyed a lot of stuff on labels like Neck Chop and Erste Theke Tontraeger.

Preening: Gang Laughter 12” (Digital Regress) Preening has put out a slew of records over the past few years and Gang Laughter is their first 12”. It continues with the format the band has honed on those previous releases: a catchy no wave / post-punk sound with locked-in bass and drums a la Gang of Four, a skronky saxophone, and two vocalists, one furious and one more deadpan. If you liked those earlier records, you’ll enjoy Gang Laughter, but what’s more exciting is how this record pushes at the edges of the band’s sound. Specifically, there’s a This Heat-style experimental streak that seems to run through the middle part of the record. The a-side’s closing track, “Red,” double tracks the sax for an eerie effect and the only vocals come from a sinister-sounding laugh track. Then the b-side opens with “GL,” an instrumental that sounds like it features both a regular piano and a toy piano. “GL” is the most This Heat-esque moment on the record, a spacious and winding composition that serves as a perfect counterpoint to the record’s more aggressive tracks. Genre-pushing bands like Preening always walk a fine line between pushing their sound forward and maintaining a consistent voice, and Gang Laughter balances those adeptly. The beautiful screen printed packaging is a nice bonus too.

Toyota: S/T 12” (Digital Regress) After a flexi and a bunch of cassettes on Discontinuous Innovation, Inc. (who also brought us releases from Wonder Bread, Erik Nervous, Acrylics, Landline, and many more) here’s the proper vinyl debut from Toyota. While I hope that the term “Devo-Core” never catches on, you could do a lot worse than that in describing Toyota’s sound. Like certain Devo tracks, Toyota's music is tightly wound, with lots of unintuitive time signatures that highlight the robotic precision of the playing. Far more than just ripping off Devo, Toyota take the sound to its logical limits. While I doubt it’s an influence, the sound reminds me of the Japanese band Polysics. It’s so quirky, inhuman, and dense with ideas that the record can overwhelm on first listen, but if you’re looking for the perfect soundtrack to downing a quintuple espresso, this is it. They slow things down a hair for a few tracks on the b-side, and these are my favorite moments on the record. When they back off the manic tempos a hair and find the groove the catchiness in these songs comes out. Toyota has demonstrated their ability to play top-notch spazz punk, but they’re already dropping hints they have more tricks up their sleeve.

Geiger Counter: Nuclear EP 7” (Ryvvolte) Latest 7” from these Minneapolis punks. These tracks come from the same session as the recent split tape with Zudas Crust I wrote about a few weeks ago and has a similar Japanese hardcore-influenced crust sound. The big chord changes on tracks like “Nuclear Solution” and the melodic guitar solos betray a Death Side influence but there’s also a punkier element to their sound that reminds me of old Pusmort Records bands like Final Conflict and Christ on Parade. This is true of the two tracks on the a-side, which remind me a lot of Final Conflict’s Ashes to Ashes LP. While a lot of bands influenced by Japanese hardcore can sound too slick, Geiger Counter keep things super raw and punk.

UFO Dicatator: Jackhammer EP cassette (self-released) Debut 10-track(!) tape from this band who, if I’m not mistaken, are from Philadelphia. The music reminds me of Career Suicide and Formaldehyde Junkies with its thin guitar sound, short songs, and the way they litter riffs with quick little rock-and-roll licks. They sound like a band whose members have listened to the Kids just as much as Poison Idea, and they do a great job of combining the best aspects of both sounds. I think I recognize Zach from Gas Rag on the mic, and his harsh yet catchy vocals keep everything firmly on the hardcore side of things. These ten tracks fly right by, and if you’re a fan of the catchier end of the No Way / Grave Mistake spectrum (Career Suicide, Social Circkle, Acid Reflux) you’ll play this over and over.

Organized Filth: demo cassette (Don’t Wanna Talk) Demo cassette from this new project featuring (or maybe even composed entirely of) Cody from Booji Boys / Negative Rage / a zillion other bands. Cody seems to have a lot of projects going at any given time (in fact we got a tape from his electronic project Proper Suggestions in at the same time as this), but the sound here is influenced by Killed by Death-style punk. The tape ends with a Mentally Ill cover and the mega raw guitar sound and snotty, (fake?) British accented-vocals would have me scrambling to the KBD/Bloodstains section of my records shelves for the perfect points of reference if I weren’t already way behind on this week’s update. While this tape feels a little tossed-off, that’s part of the beauty. It’s a loose and raw experiment, and there’s something cool about listening to the bedroom recordings of some person from Halifax, Nova Scotia influenced by a whole tradition of raw outsider recordings that has come before.

Blu Anxxiety: Baptized in Space 7” (Toxic State) Debut vinyl from this new project featuring the former vocalist of Anasazi. I have to say, this 7” blew me away on first listen. Combining elements of Chameleons / Siouxsie-esque poppy post-punk with Boy Harsher-esque pounding beats and adding a big dollop of the raw Toxic State aesthetic, Blu Anxxiety have hit upon a sound that is instantly memorable. The title track on the a-side is a great pop tune that uses a classic Pixies / Nirvana-style loud / quiet / loud formula, but dirties it up with a nasty-sounding drum machine and plenty of noise and grime. The b-side is more of a Boy Harsher / Adult.-style straight up dance floor banger, but it’s raw and punk as fuck. Add in one of the most beautiful Toxic State packaging jobs yet and you have a must-get EP. Blu Anxxiety sounds like a band that could be HUGE, so pick this up now and brag later about how you got in on the ground floor.

Shifters / Parsnip: Hip Blister 12” (Future Folklore) Brand new 6-song (3 songs from each group) EP from these two Australian bands who should be familiar to Sorry State’s followers. Shifters have put out a slew of records over the past year and I’ve liked them all, but I was less enthused with their debut LP on Trouble in Mind. Maybe they just work better in the EP format because I like these three tracks a lot. In everything I’ve written about the Shifters I’ve said they sound like a mix of the Fall’s early stuff and Velvets-influenced New Zealand bands from the early 80s, and that remains true here. If you liked their early stuff, you’ll enjoy these three tracks. As for Parsnip, their earlier records sounded a little different from one another, and this one sounds a little different from those. The first track, “Counterfeit,” is a nice power-pop tune with a Number Ones-esque walking bass line. “Dailybreader” has super high vocals that might test your tolerance for twee, while the record’s title track is a little more rocking and riff-based, making it my favorite track on the record. I’m not sure that Hip Blister is the place to start with either of these bands, but if you’re following all the hip new Australian sounds you’ll want to pick this up.

The Cowboys: The Bottom of a Rotten Flower 12” (Feel It) Latest full-length from this great band from Indiana. They have a confusing discography, but by my count The Bottom of a Rotten Flower is the band’s sixth (!!!) full-length album in five years, though only the latter three have seen vinyl pressings (their first LP on Lumpy / Drunken Sailor compiled the best tracks from their earlier cassette-only albums). The Cowboys resist the descriptions I usually write, because while I rely on a lot of band comparisons, they don’t seem to be working with their influences in the way most contemporary punk bands do, or if they are, then I’m not familiar with those influences. Instead, the Cowboys strike me as songwriters and players of the type you don’t see too often anymore. The have little pretense about them; they have no “image” and they don’t seem precious about the process of making and releasing records. Instead, they write song after song. Those songs are always good and sometimes they’re great. They also vary widely in style. The Bottom of a Rotten Flower has everything from Billy Joel-esque piano rock (“Now with Feeling”), Real Kids-style 50s-influenced power-pop (“Open Sores”), Smiths-esque rockabilly pop (“Happy Armageddon”), and a whole heap of energetic, punky power pop songs that remind me of 70s punk bands like the Undertones, the Lurkers, and the Boys. I like that there’s so much Cowboys material out there and that the band forces you to come to their music on their terms… it’s a similar approach to bands like the Fall, Guided by Voices, or the Stooges. The Cowboys don’t sound like any of those bands, but they have a similar relationship to their listeners. I’m sure it’s possible to enjoy The Bottom of a Rotten Flower as a simple collection of pop songs. In fact, I have a hunch that’s what the band wants you to do, but the Cowboy’s approach and demeanor are so intriguing and so foreign to our historical moment they’re worth paying attention to.

Man-Eaters: S/T cassette (self-released) Debut cassette from this new Chicago band feature members of Tarantula. Tarantula is on hiatus at the moment and Man-Eaters pick up where they left off. Over the course of the many Cülo and Tarantula releases these folks have locked into a distinct and memorable sound, and if you’re a fan, you should keep an eye on Man-Eaters. That being said, this project has a slightly different vibe. While “Nasty Bits” sounds like it could have been a Tarantula song with its melodic, Husker Du-esque guitar riff, most of the other tracks have a heavier, more rock-and-roll vibe that reminds me of the Dead Boys at their toughest and meanest. “Carbona Guerrilla” (great title!) and “Taste Concrete” are great examples of this style, and “The Electric Umbilical Cord” adds in some off-kilter rhythms and psychedelic elements into the mix. If you’re a fan of Cülo and / or Tarantula, you’ll want to pick this up.

Rosey Dust: Keep for Life 7” (Square Wave) Debut single from this power-pop band. The a-side is a big-guitar, classic-sounding power-pop track that reminds me of Big Star or Tim-era Replacements with its chiming guitars and energetic (but not punky) rhythm. Songcraft is important to Rosey Dust as “Keep for Life” is a long track with a lot of parts, but the song has a logical forward movement that sounds perfect for mid-80s alternative rock radio… if such a thing existed. The b-side takes a similar approach, but slows down the tempo a hair and ups the guitars’ shred and fuzz levels into the J Mascis region. I don’t think Rosey Dust is for the punks necessarily, but these are two superb power pop tunes.

States of Nature: Collide-A-Scope 7” (self-released) Debut EP from this Bay Area, California band featuring former members of Sterile Mind. States of Nature’s sound reminds me of the post-hardcore I was listening to in the 90s, particularly Drive Like Jehu, Fugazi, and Jawbox. Like those bands, States of Nature use inventive rhythms, have complex and dynamic arrangements, and have a penchant for the occasional big, Nirvana-style chorus. The production is powerful, the playing is top-notch, and it scratches that itch for complexity and ambition you might develop after a few days of listening to nothing but primitive d-beat. If you’re a fan of the aforementioned bands give this a try… it rocks.

Redness: Killer Bees 12” (no label) Redness is a little-known art-punk band from Cleveland, Ohio, and this record is a reissue of their 1980 7” expanded to a 12” for maximum fidelity. Killer Bees is some of the most out-there art punk I’ve ever heard. As the label’s description notes, you can hear traces of influences from weirdo touchstones like Captain Beefheart and the Residents, but Redness sounds way more homemade, chaotic, and confrontational. “Gran Torismo” and “Creme Rinse” contain traces of melody, but “Little Debbie” and “Primitivjam” sound like the most out-there krautrock experiments minus any trace of musicality or technical ability. The mix of instruments sounds almost random, with horns and synths sharing space with drills, saws, and god-knows-what percussion. If you’re looking for the weirdest of the weird, look no further. You’ve found it.

Fried Egg: Square One 12” (Feel It) After nearly five years and a slew of EP releases, Virginia’s Fried Egg lay their debut 12” on us. It’s a short one with only nine songs, but there’s not an ounce of fat on this prime cut of American hardcore punk. While I liked all of Fried Egg’s earlier releases a lot, I always thought I heard something more distinctive bubbling under the surface of what appeared to be merely an excellent hardcore band. Square One is where they prove me right. While there’s plenty of hardcore on the record, the ability to rage out isn’t the only thing in their bag of tricks. Fried Egg has gotten so tight and locked-in they can now take their sound to different places, like the woozy, off-kilter rhythm of “Transient,” the more melodic “Confidence,” and the tough but groovy, Black Flag-esque rhythms featured on nearly every track. Black Flag is the comparison I keep coming back to with Square One. Like Flag, Fried Egg inhabit their rhythms, getting deeper into the pocket and heavier than any contemporary band I can think of. I remember reading that Black Flag used to practice their songs at uncomfortably slow tempos, building the speed incrementally so as not to lose the wrecking ball force generated when they all locked into a groove. I don’t know if Fried Egg did the same thing, but they generate a similar level of force. Further, while Black Flag’s later releases all had somewhat crappy production, Square One sounds amazing. The band tracked it live to analog tape and the power of four well-practiced musicians playing together in a room blows away any cheesy ProTools manipulation. At the risk of overstating my case, Square One is the record I want In My Head to be. While I’ve written about the band’s power, I don’t want to give short shrift to their songwriting, as Square One is jam-packed with catchy riffs and the song structures are lean without sounding spartan. Hardcore is punk boiled down to its essence, and that’s what I hear on this record. In case you can’t tell, I’m pretty much in love with Square One. If you love hardcore you will wear this record out, and even if you only have a passing interest in the contemporary scene, this should be one of the handful of hardcore records you buy in 2019.

Headroom: New Heaven 12” (Ever/Never Records) After an earlier LP on Trouble in Mind, New Heaven is a new EP-length (about 20 minutes) release from Connecticut’s Headroom. I don’t know this scene well, but I love zoned out, Krautrock-influenced sounds and trust Ever/Never Records, whose endorsement is more than enough to get something on my radar. Indeed, New Heaven is already one of my favorite things that the label has released. Headroom reminds me of a lot of things I already like: their deep, dub-influenced basslines recall my favorite post-punk bands; the way they ride a spacey groove brings to mind Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis; the trance-like rhythms and slowly evolving compositions sound like Ash Ra Tempel or early Tangerine Dream; and the sparse, effects-drenched vocals pop up just often enough to keep you from drifting into a different realm. New Heaven serves well as late night, stoned-on-the-couch music or as the gentle throb of background noise you need to propel you into getting work done in the afternoon. I know neither of those things are "on brand" for Sorry State, but if you like to travel in those worlds, I recommend checking out New Heaven.

Geiger Counter / Zudas Krust: split cassette (Desolate) Split tape from these two metallic crust bands. Geiger Counter is from Minneapolis and you may remember them from their previous releases while Zudas Krust is a long-running Indonesian band I’m hearing for the first time. It’s a good pairing since both bands sound like they’re influenced by Japanese hardcore, but infuse the sound with a distinct death metal influence, particularly in the guttural vocal sound the two bands share. The first two tracks on Geiger Counter’s side have a Death Side gallop, an epic feel, and even a few melodic, Chelsea-esque lead guitar breaks, while the last track speeds things up to more of a Bastard tempo. As for Zudas Krust, their recording is rawer and their sound is even more metal. While some of it still sounds like Japanese hardcore, Axegrinder’s Rise of the Serpent Men would be a closer reference point. Good stuff for the dreadlocks and denim crowd.

Austerity: demo cassette (Clacker Recordings) I don’t know anything about Austerity, but I’ll assume they hail from somewhere near their label’s headquarters in Massachusetts. Musically, they do that SOA/Last Rights-type “hardcore with a touch of oi!” thing that was super popular a few years ago, but they sound more straightforward and punk rock than the pure hardcore bands who attempt the style. Tracks like “Modernity” and “Means Test” have the same catchy, Blitz-influenced riffing style as SOA, and the former even has a simple, melodic guitar solo. Sometimes hardcore’s shouts can sound perfunctory, but not here. The vocalist sounds like Choke and/or Steve from 86 Mentality, and like them Austerity’s vocalist has a lot of energy and charisma. The final track, “Modern Slavery,” mixes things up with more off-kilter riffs and rhythms, ending the demo on a high note. While the music is tough and aggressive, this has the same youthful, fun feel of Teen Idles or (for the old SSR heads) the Pure Scum demo tape.

Sap: I cassette (Clacker Recordings) Another Massachusetts punk demo from the new label Clacker Recordings. While their labelmates Austerity are a straightforward hardcore band, Sap have a more varied sound. They can lurch like Flipper, glide like Uranium Club, and rip like Career Suicide, all of which they do capably. The vocals are snotty and raw, reminding me of Chris Thomson of Skull Kontrol and the Monorchid… unfortunately my brain is not bringing a comparison to mind that someone under the age of 35 might understand. I like that Sap doesn’t stick to one particular style. They sound like people full of energy and open to the wide musical possibilities for DIY punk. If you like your punk loose, raw, and progressive this may well catch your ear.

Collate: Communication 7” (Market Square) Latest single from this Portland band on the reliable Market Square Records. We’ve been following Collate since their early days of cassette-only releases and their self-released 12” was our Record of the Week this past August, so I was excited to hear these new tracks. While you can still hear the Delta 5-style mutant funk groove driving the bus, on the whole these two tracks sound more brittle, experimental, and confrontational than the tracks on Liminal Concerns. The abrasive recording and experimental edge remind me of the Fall’s Dragnet album, but there’s a New York no wave-style “mutant funk” element too. As someone immersed in the hardcore scene but into more experimental sounds, this is exactly what I want to hear right now. Pity it’s so short, but until further notice Collate are in the “must hear every note they release” pile.

Andy Human & the Reptoids: Psychic Sidekick 12” (Total Punk) 2nd LP from California’s Andy Human & the Reptoids and a rare long-player for the Total Punk label. While Andy Human’s singles are gut-punches of catchiness, Psychic Sidekick spreads out and emphasizes the band’s looser side. Most songs are built around steady drumbeats and bass pulses, overlaid with squelches of synth and (often heavily effected) lead guitar. The vocals and lyrics can feel like an afterthought, but that’s OK because those long, meandering synth and guitar lines are the star of the show. If your record collection has a ton of ’77-era punk records and 70s Krautrock, you’re right in the sweet spot for being bowled over by Psychic Sidekick. Interestingly, the songs on the a-side feel a little snappier and more upbeat, while the tracks on the b-side churn more slowly. That is except for “You Like Your Job,” whose propulsive, Delta 5-ish bass line makes it the record’s standout track. While Psychic Sidekick isn’t as crude or confrontational as the typical Total Punk release, if you like the more psychedelic end of the garage spectrum (Destruction Unit, Ex-Cult, that recent Timmy Vulgar LP on Mind Meld) this is well worth a listen.

Zyanose: Chaos Bender 12” (Distort Reality) Brand new 8-song, one-sided (the b-side has a rad looking etching) 12” from these Japanese noise-punk / crasher crust legends. I know that some people think crasher crust is a genre whose parameters are so narrow that every release sounds the same. I can see where people are coming from with that opinion, but I can’t deny the power of a well-done release in this style. Further, while Zyanose aren’t as innovative as, say, D-Clone, they’re far from generic. While a solid 75% of the record consists of the explosions of maximum intensity I think of as crasher crust, Zyanose’s true artistry lies in how that 75% sits against the remaining quarter of the record. Each of these eight tracks has something to make it unique—it might be an oddly pitch-shifted vocal, an unexpected rhythm, a particularly abrasive noise texture, or a dramatic tempo change—but there’s always enough to ensure that each track is memorable and not a throwaway. Further, these moments serve as a counter-point to the blaring noise-punk, preventing that feeling of monotony it’s so easy for extreme music to drift into. So, move along if you have no interest in the style, but if you’re on board, this is an excellent record.

Hyena: S/T 12” (Bloody Master) Debut vinyl from this Atlanta hardcore band featuring members of Mercenary and Bukkake Boys, and if you liked those bands, I’m sure you’ll love Hyena. The style resembles what those bands did… a certain brand of meat and potatoes hardcore free of stylistic pretense and cool guy posturing. The music is uniformly hard and heavy, but Hyena makes room for plenty of interesting little moments like the anarcho-tinged “War,” the wicked fast drumming on “Culture of Violence,” and some memorable lead guitar on tracks like “Narcissist” and “Plagued.” Really, though, after listening to this LP all the way through, you’re not left remembering those moments so much as the monolithic intensity of the whole record. I can’t imagine that Hyena will become the next hype band (though the cool artwork and limited 220-copy pressing could make this a hard to get record), but this LP will appeal to precisely the people who aren’t chasing the hot new thing.

Chow Line: Demo No. 4 cassette (Edger) Fourth tape from this Portland band and damn it smokes. Seriously, someone press this to vinyl, stat! Chow Line remind me of other Portland bands like Suck Lords and U-Nix in that they’re capable of playing very fast, but they also have a tougher Poison Idea-type element to their sound. Everything is tight and snappy, the recording is perfect, and the vocalist has a burly, Jerry A-type shout/bellow. While a lot of tape releases can seem half-baked or thrown together, this one feels like a proper EP with a deliberate and exciting build-up across the tracks. The mid-paced churn of “Hell” leads into the faster “Crisis,” which sets the stage for my favorite track on the tape, “The Train.” Usually it’s the mid-paced parts that stand out on a hardcore record, but “The Train” is the fastest track here, sounding like Pick Your King-era Poison Idea trying to match Siege’s blistering tempos. The tape ends with “False Death,” where double bass drum (the only place it appears on the tape) ratchets up the intensity one final notch. You wouldn’t expect it with an unassuming title like Demo No. 4, but this is one of the best hardcore releases I’ve heard in recent memory.

Zounds: Can’t Cheat Karma 12” (Sealed) Zounds’ five 7” releases have been repackaged numerous times over the years: a 1983 LP on Italy’s Base Records, CD collections in 1993 and 2007, and even a 7” box set on Broken Rekids in 2011. This collection on Sealed Records doesn’t add much aside from super cool new artwork and a rad poster insert, but you won’t find me complaining that some of the best anarcho punk ever is back in print. Zounds’ first single, Can’t Cheat Karma, is a top 5 Crass Records release for me. One of the most musically sophisticated and capable anarcho bands, Zounds made chart-worthy music for the punks, and the three tracks from Can’t Cheat Karma are all hits that will inspire a singalong at any gathering of spiky punks. If you haven’t heard them before the choruses will hit you immediately, but as the tracks sink in you’ll notice all kinds of subtleties, particularly in the guitars, which dance across the beat with the grace of a seasoned ska or funk player. Amazingly, Zounds got even better on their second single, Demystification. The title track is the band’s best song, brooding pop that brings in subtle organ sounds to make the track both fuller and more delicate. The b-side, “Great White Hunter,” is probably Zounds’ best song other than “Demystification,” with a big classic rock riff anchoring the track. Their final three singles don’t get as much attention from punks, but they’re full of moments of equal brilliance. The a-sides to their final two singles both had a Smiths-esque rockabilly jangle different from anything the band had done before, but equally brilliant. As you can tell, Zounds are one of my favorite anarcho bands and the thirteen tracks here are long since burned into my memory banks from repeated play. If you don’t already have these songs on a physical format, this beautiful looking and great-sounding reissue will do the trick just fine.

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https://www.sorrystaterecords.com/blogs/news/record-of-the-week-subversive-rite-songs-for-the-end-times-lp2019-02-14T10:51:13-05:002019-02-14T10:51:14-05:00Record of the Week: Subversive Rite: Songs for the End Times LPDaniel Lupton

Subversive Rite: Songs for the End Times 12” (Bloody Master) New York’s Subversive Rite have put out two tapes, previously compiled on a limited 12” on Bloody Master, but Songs for the End Times is their first proper, made-for-vinyl release. As the label states in their description, “the demos were good, this LP is much better.” The style is the same, but better, more powerful production and more finely honed songwriting and arrangements make this record hit a lot harder. If you haven’t heard them, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say Subversive Rite takes a lot of influence from Sacrilege. If Behind the Realms of Madness is the perfect 50/50 mix of Discharge/Broken Bones-inspired hardcore and thrash metal, Subversive Rite tilts more toward the hardcore side with less metallic riffing and a more straightforward, Poison Idea-influenced drumming style. When the band lays into big, dramatic punches they hit with the force of a battering ram. It’s rare to hear a band that has such a fast and metallic style generate such brute force. While it’s pretty much all-go, no slow, there’s enough variation to make this short LP a gripping, teeth-clenched listening experience for its entire duration. If you like your hardcore to sound huge and powerful, I can’t recommend Songs for the End Times highly enough.

Homeless Cadaver: Fat Skeleton 7” (Iron Lung) This two-song single from Homeless Cadaver is the second in Iron Lung’s new singles series, Systemic Surgery. Each Systemic Surgery single features beautiful, riso-printed artwork, is limited to 200 copies, and has a cool Iron Lung logo diecut on the back. Musically, Homeless Cadaver sounds like a band that would be more at home on a label like Total Punk or Neck Chop than Iron Lung. They build these two songs around big, catchy guitar riffs (a more garage-punk one on the a-side and a more hardcore one on the b-side) and big catchy choruses. However, Homeless Cadaver do weird things up a little, with both songs having wild, careening synth solos and the b-side track using a jittery, unintuitive drumbeat as a counterpoint to the song’s big riff. It’s not precisely what you expect from an Iron Lung Records release, but as they’ve proven many times this label has great taste no matter what the genre.

Clarko: Medeocre Man 7” (Iron Lung) Single #1 of 5 in Iron Lung’s new Systemic Surgery singles series. Each Systemic Surgery single features beautiful, riso-printed artwork, is limited to 200 copies, and has a cool Iron Lung logo diecut on the back. As with the Homeless Cadaver single that ILR released I know nothing about Clarko… where they’re from and who is involved with the project are mysteries to me. Also like the Homeless Cadaver single, Clarko’s music is outside Iron Lung’s usual purview. However, where Homeless Cadaver’s songs are guitar-oriented with synth solos, Clarko flips the script with a synth-based song and some occasional guitar noises. The synth lines are super catchy and the rhythms are propulsive and punk. It’s a short one, but it’s packaged beautifully and limited to only 200, so if you pass on it I’m sure there’s another eager record collector willing to take your place in line.

Deviant: Loading the Gun 7” (11PM Records) Debut 7” from this hardcore band from Richmond, Virginia. Deviant features members of several contemporary Richmond bands like Nosebleed and Haircut, but they base their sound more on the 00s glory days of Richmond punk, when No Way and Grave Mistake Records were at the height of their popularity. Bob Quirk recorded the record (he also recorded several classic releases from that 00s era) and the sound is a tightly wound variant of classic USHC that dials up the intricacy as high as it will go without losing the catchiness. The songs are great, with catchy riff after catchy riff and countless stops, starts, and tempo changes to keep the songs interesting. The playing is locked-in and powerful, the band both nimble and punishing. The vocals also have a ton of personality, balancing the tightness of the music with a wild and unhinged quality. Even though this is a straightforward US hardcore record, there isn’t a moment here that sounds cheesy, forced, or plagiarized… it’s a pure and articulate expression of what hardcore is supposed to be. If you love nothing more than a great 6-song hardcore EP get this… you won’t be disappointed.

Not Shit: Tour Tape cassette (No Solution Ltd.) Latest cassette release from this California hardcore band, released for their recent tour. The fact that this tape ends with a YDI cover should clue you in to what Not Shit is all about… this is mean, nihilistic and ugly hardcore in the classic US tradition. The recording is super raw, and the band’s faster and more straightforward songs sound like deep cuts from an 80s USHC comp like Party or Go Home or The Master Tape. Some might find it generic, but people like me slurp this stuff up like mom’s home cooking. My favorite song is the opener “Only Me,” which crawls along with the mid-paced, misanthropic heaviness of Fang or Sick Pleasure. Under the radar for sure, but a good listen for the deep heads.

Flower: Two Tapes cassette (Sickhead) Import release compiling two previously released cassettes from this New York band. The label bills them as anarcho / crust, but it’s not that simple. The two cassettes compiled here sound fairly different from one another though the common thread is a willingness to try different things within the realm of hardcore. The Violent Crusades tape has a rawer sound and lots of dissonant riffing a la Born Against and a charismatic vocalist. Like Born Against, the songs are fast and intense, but the guitarist always finds interesting little nooks and crannies to fill with weirdness. The tracks from the other tape have a clearer recording and are more rhythmically adventurous, with the track “Pride Is Not for Me” having an almost industrial cadence. Most hardcore I hear these days is self-conscious of how it fits within hardcore’s various subgenres, but Flower remind me of bands like Nausea and Rorschach who seemed oblivious to those kinds of boundaries.

Gasmask / Coward: Split 12” (Euro Import) Both Gasmask and Coward released EPs on the Japanese label Skeleton (in 1985 and 1986, respectively). In 2002, Crust War paired them together and compiled them on a single LP along with unreleased live tracks from each band and additional tracks from “Cowmask” and “Gasward,” which were presumably studio collaborations between the members of the two bands. I’m unclear whether this is an official or unofficial repress of that release, so we’ll call it a “European import.” Either way, this LP is packed to the brim with classic 80s Japanese hardcore. Gasmask have a rough 80s Japanese hardcore aesthetic with simple and catchy pogo beats, Fuckheads-esque riffs, and “gargling broken glass” vocals that will remind you of G.I.S.M. Coward are faster, reminding me a lot of Systematic Death with their hyper-fast drumming and tight changes. The tracks from the original records are the star of the show, but the live tracks are strong too, as are the collaborative songs. Both bands are deep cuts for sure, but you’ve got to go a lot deeper than this before 80s Japanese hardcore stops being totally killer.

Muro: Ataque Hardcore Punk 12” (Beach Impediment) Debut LP from this hardcore punk band from Bogota, Colombia. This LP came out as a hard-to-get Norwegian pressing in 2017, but Beach Impediment have done a 500-copy run so we North Americans can get our hands on it more easily. It’s rare to see a hardcore punk record get any kind of repress these days, so you can imagine Ataque Hardcore Punk must be special. And it is! Muro brings together a bunch of different threads of hardcore punk in a way that sounds natural, fresh, and exciting. I hear elements of UK82 (particularly faster stuff like Ultra Violent), d-beat, and primal pogo-hardcore like Blazing Eye and S.H.I.T., all with a dash of Una Bestia Incontrolable’s progressive experimentation. However, despite reminding me of all of these things, Ataque Hardcore Punk also sounds like a classic hardcore punk record. Muro combines these elements organically, like they’re just a shit-hot hardcore punk band doing what feels natural rather than a bunch of record nerds or punk historians showing off their influences. The recording is raw, the songs are brimming with memorable moments, and the record’s packaging is also spot-on. The jacket is not only screen printed, but hand-assembled on paper that reminds me of old European or South American LPs. There are not one but two huge posters, and everything is packed with illustrations that are super punk yet avoid cliches. I often feel like I have to choose between purist and progressive strands of hardcore, but Muro lets me have my cake and eat it too.

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https://www.sorrystaterecords.com/blogs/news/all-things-to-all-people-vol-29-best-of-20182019-02-06T21:17:36-05:002019-02-06T21:17:40-05:00All Things to All People Vol. 29: Best of 2018Daniel Lupton

February is the month when everyone posts their year-end lists, right? I guess not, but "better late than never" is one of our mottoes here at Sorry State. Before I get to my own list, though, I thought I'd have a bit of fun poking around Sorry State's sales records for 2018 so you could know how SSR's customers voted with their dollars this past year.

We'll start with an obvious one: here are the 10 best-selling releases of 2018 at Sorry State. These are dominated by releases on our own label, which makes sense given that we're the best and cheapest place to get those. I'm shocked to see Libyans' Expired Language LP so high on the list. That's one of the worst-selling releases in SSR, mostly because the band broke up pretty much right when it was released. We had so many copies hanging around the warehouse that I practically gave them away through most of 2019, but hopefully a bunch of people listened to that record because I still think it's great.

This isn't very punk, but I'll post it anyway. These are the top-selling used records at Sorry State for 2018. Of course the items on this list are at least as reflective as what is available on the used market as it is of what people want. I'm sure that if we had 100 used copies of Rudimentary Peni's first EP that would top the list. But, by the same token, I'm sure we could have sold five times as many copies of Dark Side of the Moon and Rumours if we had them too.

Now on to the meat of this thing! The following are my 10 favorite releases of 2018. They are presented alphabetically rather than in order of quality. If my descriptions seem a little more terse than usual, that's because this was originally written for publication in MRR's Best of 2018 issue. Given that trees were dying for this, I thought I'd keep things brief. While most of these releases are long since sold out, I've included streaming links for everything in case you missed it the first time around. Note also that this list excludes reissues, Sorry State releases, and major label distributed releases (otherwise I might have tried to squeeze Hot Snakes' Jericho Sirens on there). Here goes:

BB & THE BLIPS: “Shame Job” LP (Thrilling Living)

Thrilling Living Records has been a staple of my year-end lists ever since they started. You should get everything they release, but if I had to pick one from 2018 this LP from Australia’s BB & THE BLIPS would be my choice. Incisive, insightful lyrics, a through-the-roof energy level, perfectly raw production, and hooks for days… this record has it all.

Pittsburgh’s BLOOD PRESSURE follow up their first LP with an even more powerful statement. A little less frantic than their debut, “Surrounded” sacrifices a touch of speed but gains a lot more power. If you like being steamrolled by your hardcore records, this is probably your favorite record of 2018.

Philly’s DARK THOUGHTS are the melodic punk band that it’s OK for people into hardcore to like. That’s not just because they wear cooler band t-shirts than most pop-punk bands (though they do), but rather because they have everything that’s great about RAMONES-based pop-punk and none of the corniness that made a lot of us grow out of that scene.

This transatlantic project record featuring members of VIOLENT REACTION, ARMS RACE, and NO TOLERANCE came and went without a lot of fanfare, but it’s a sleeper hit. Packing nine tracks onto a 7” with spot-on, Don Zientara circa 1981 production, this one is highly recommended for the 80s USHC purist.

I love hardcore bands that experiment with different sounds and textures than your typical guitar / bass / drums / vocals setup, and I also love loose and wild-sounding 80s Italian hardcore. HOLOGRAM combines both of those things on this record and it’s one of the most exciting and forward-thinking things I heard this year.

Speaking of 80s Italian hardcore, Germany’s IDIOTA CIVILIZZATO is certainly rooted in that sound. However, in addition to the wildness and dissonance that comes from bands like WRETCHED, NEGAZIONE, and CCM, IDIOTA CIVILIZZATO’s ability to get deep in the pocket is rivaled only by contemporary bands like S.H.I.T., BLAZING EYE, and IMPALERS.

KALEIDOSCOPE has been one of the most exciting bands in punk since they started, but their latest EP is their best stuff yet. We already knew they were a great hardcore band, but who knew they could write a Krautrock-influenced dance floor banger like “Scorched Earth,” which might be my single favorite track of 2018?

North Carolina’s PERSONALITY CULT sounds like the BUZZCOCKS with a dash of TUBEWAY ARMY. Those aren’t comparisons to be thrown around lightly, but the songwriting and performances on their debut record warrant them. Like DARK THOUGHTS, PERSONALITY CULT prove that it’s still possible to make great melodic punk in 2018.

Like HOLOGRAM, PUBLIC ACID sound both savage and progressive. The drums come from the no-flash school of early POISON IDEA, but the wild, G.I.S.M.-esque riffs, frightening vocals, impressionistic lyrics, and fuzz and noise-drenched production all contribute to a uniquely sinister atmosphere.

One of punk’s guiding principles is that technical proficiency isn’t necessary to create powerful music. However, WARM BODIES prove that being really good at your instrument doesn’t disqualify you from making great punk either. This LP is a total shred fest, but it’s also one of the wildest and most energetic records I’ve ever heard.

Because ten is never enough, here's some honorable mentions. These are all things that I liked a lot, but not quite as much as the stuff above. On any given day most of these could have easily been in the top 10:

I rarely brag about my used / collectible record buys online, so I'll finish this post by bragging about some of the coolest collectible records I acquired in 2018. In no particular order:

Poison Idea: Kings of Punk LP (Portland edition with all inserts)Anti-Cimex: Victims of a Bombraid 7" (1st press)The Fall: Marquis Cha-Cha 7" (the hardest to get Fall record from their early period and the last one I needed to complete my collection... thanks Ellis!)Negazione: Tutti Pazzi 7"Various: Yes LA 12"Crude SS: Who'll Survive 7"Sin 34: Die Laughing 7"J.A. Caesar: Kokkyou Junreika 12" (an original will set you back a few grand, but I managed to find a really nice early 00s Japanese repress)Possessed: Seven Churches 12" 1st press (for $5!)Bathory: The Return 12" original US press (for $25!)Can: Monster Movie 12" (2nd German pressing)Faust: The Faust Tapes 12" (1st UK pressing)

I'd love the following to appear on my list of favorite acquisitions of 2019, so if you're holding please get in touch:

Ryan Dino: Chapter One: The Final Chapter 12” (Scavenger of Death) Ryan Dino is a project from Ryan Bell, whom you may know from Atlanta bands like Bukkake Boys, Hyena, and GG King, as well as having recorded quite a few of the Atlanta punk releases that have received national attention over the past decade or more. I’m a big proponent of the Atlanta punk scene… while some people think of it as a garage-punk kind of town, my favorite bands from there are quirky and unique. It seems like, in Atlanta, it’s popular to slam together diverse influences, resulting in unique projects like GG King, Uniform, and Näg. Add in the pop sensibility that seems ingrained into Atlanta punk bands at a deep level and you have a heap of unique and memorable bands. This Ryan Dino LP feels like a product of that scene, mixing post-punk, black metal, hard rock, and hardcore while keeping the whole thing super catchy. Several tracks like the stunning opener “Ordnance Map,” “Basking in Shadow,” and “Stranger” remind me of Total Control at their best, but then there are tracks like “Black Cliffs,” which sounds like it could have been a Bukkake Boys or Hyena song, the black metal-influenced “I Don’t Believe,” and the NWOBHM parody (?) “Breakin’ the Danelaw.” The aggressive eclecticism and the subtle undercurrent of humor seem designed to bait self-serious punk and hardcore types, but I like both aspects of the record a lot. It seems very southern… our punk scenes here are smaller and less segregated by style and genre, and a lot of us carry a chip on our shoulder because our projects don’t get the same attention as what happens in the bigger metropolitan centers. What I’m getting at is that this record may be too Atlanta for some people, but if you’ve been following the bands coming out of that city (particularly the ones on Scavenger of Death), you’ll recognize this as, perhaps, the ultimate Atlanta record.

Baus: Songs to Snake To 12” (Digital Regress) Baus is a band from Oakland who has several releases under their belt, but I believe this is the first time I’ve heard them. I see the tags “post-punk” and “no wave” associated with them in multiple places, which makes sense. Tracks like “Proud,” “Pop Song,” and “Be Cool” are bass-led songs a la Gang of Four or Delta 5, but thankfully keep their distance from the overt funkiness that makes a lot of music in this style sound corny. The more experimental and no wave elements are even more interesting. Those creep into the song-oriented material (like the noisy and chaotic guitars on “Cannonball”), but my favorite moments on the record are the more minimal, less song-oriented tracks like “Skin,” “Interlude,” and “Classics.” These tracks wander curiously from sound to sound in a way that reminds me of This Heat or even Faust. With a short running time and a lot of variation from track to track this is a quick and fun listen.

R. Clown: The Big Break 7” (Digital Regress) Debut vinyl from this synth-punk project. R. Clown sound of a piece with several recent punk bands that use drum machines… I’m thinking of S.B.F. and Race Car, though each of these projects has their own unique quirks. While R. Clown’s tough vocals might make you think of S.B.F., they separate themselves from the pack with particularly creative use of the drum machine (not just replicating standard punk beats, but using sounds and patterns a human couldn’t or wouldn’t play) and piles of memorable synth and guitar riffs. Part of the fun of this style of music is the way it bends genres, and R. Clown do it more aggressively than most. The vocals are an obvious nod to hardcore, the drum machine virtuosity reminds me of a Big Black, “Lovin’ in My Oven” has bright, new wave-y synths, and “Rodeo Stomp” even has an early 80s hip-hop vibe. If you follow labels like Neck Chop and Digital Regress, you’ll want to check this out.

Private Vices: Total Control 7” (Splattered!) Private Vices were a late 70s UK punk band composed of French expatriates. While they never released a record during their original run as a band, these two tracks were released on 1987’s Les 30 Plus Grands Succès Du Punk compilation of vintage French punk, alongside contemporaries like Metal Urbain, the Dogs, Guilty Razors, and Gasoline. Even that compilation is a collectible record nowadays, so Splattered! Records has taken the two tracks and released them as the single that should have been. The a-side, “Total Control,” is a complete ripper. Coming from the Boys / Slaughter & the Dogs school of pop-inflected pub punk, it’s notable for featuring both a top-notch vocal and guitar hook, achieving a level of quality I’d expect from a top-tier 70s UK punk band. Had they released song as a single back then I'm sure it would have been a huge seller or it would be an expensive collectible today. The b-side is in the same style, but it doesn’t have quite the same magic. The artwork also leaves me scratching my head… it looks overtly misogynistic but maybe I’m missing something. Still, “Total Control” is as great an undiscovered 70s punk tune as you’re likely to hear in this day and age.

Vaaska: Inocentes Condenados 7” (Beach Impediment) Texas’s Vaaska are back with a new 4-song EP, their first release since 2016’s Futuro Primitivo 7” on Beach Impediment. By my count this is the 7th Vaaska vinyl release, and at this point they have a bulky discography that may intimidate newcomers, but I assure you it’s all good. As with long-running bands like Motorhead or the Fall, it’s fun to listen to how the band’s sound evolves from release to release. If I had to sum up Inocentes Condenados in a few words, I’d say it’s the most Discharge-inspired Vaaska release. Vaaska are a d-beat band, so Discharge has always been an influence, but Inocentes finds them dabbling with more overt appropriation, particularly on “Atrapados,” which incorporates the riff from Discharge’s “Fight Back.” Other tracks graft Discharge’s distinctive chord progressions onto Vaaska’s well-established template, reaching a climax with the closing track, “No a la Guerra.” Notable for being one of the few Vaaska tracks without a blazing guitar solo (though there is a big swell of feedback where you expect one to come in), “No a la Guerra” is one of the rawest, noisiest, and most primal tracks that Vaaska has ever laid down. Every single Vaaska record is good. If you’ve been buying them all, then there’s no reason to stop with Inocentes Condenados, but if you’re new to the band, it’s also a fine place to start tackling their discography.

Dry Insides: S/T 7” (Knife Vision) I don’t know much about Dry Insides (though we carried a previous 7” from them back in 2014), but you could make a good guess about what they sound like based on this EP’s visual aesthetic. It’s clean, well-executed (I love the black printing inside the 7” pocket sleeve), and despite being stark and straightforward seems to reference everything from Celtic Frost to Youth Attack Records-type hardcore to cult 80s Japanese punk. The a-side, “Nothing Lives in This World,” centers on a big riff I could imagine coming from Bathory just as easily as Blazing Eye, with echo-drenched vocals and wandering, atmospheric lead guitar weaving in and out of the din. Things slow down to a Celtic Frost-esque, trudging through wet sand pace at the end, staying at a similar tempo for the entire b-side. If you like all the things I mentioned above, it’s a safe bet you’ll like Dry Insides. I’m not sure which of these things influenced them, but whatever frame of reference they’re working from they’ve put together an interesting, unique, and impeccably presented single here.

Muro: Ataque Hardcore Punk 12” (Beach Impediment) Debut LP from this hardcore punk band from Bogota, Colombia. This LP came out as a hard-to-get Norwegian pressing in 2017, but Beach Impediment have done a 500-copy run so we North Americans can get our hands on it more easily. It’s rare to see a hardcore punk record get any kind of repress these days, so you can imagine Ataque Hardcore Punk must be special. And it is! Muro brings together a bunch of different threads of hardcore punk in a way that sounds natural, fresh, and exciting. I hear elements of UK82 (particularly faster stuff like Ultra Violent), d-beat, and primal pogo-hardcore like Blazing Eye and S.H.I.T., all with a dash of Una Bestia Incontrolable’s progressive experimentation. However, despite reminding me of all of these things, Ataque Hardcore Punk also sounds like a classic hardcore punk record. Muro combines these elements organically, like they’re just a shit-hot hardcore punk band doing what feels natural rather than a bunch of record nerds or punk historians showing off their influences. The recording is raw, the songs are brimming with memorable moments, and the record’s packaging is also spot-on. The jacket is not only screen printed, but hand-assembled on paper that reminds me of old European or South American LPs. There are not one but two huge posters, and everything is packed with illustrations that are super punk yet avoid cliches. I often feel like I have to choose between purist and progressive strands of hardcore, but Muro lets me have my cake and eat it too.

Reptoides: El Marcianismo cassette (World Gone Mad) World Gone Mad brings us another release from Mexico’s Reptoides. Like the others, this one has a green color scheme and is weird as hell, but this time it’s limited to only 50 copies so you’d better jump fast if you’re a fan. Reptoides’ previous EP on WGM was quirky, but they dive off the deep end with El Marcianismo. It’s still hardcore punk, but they push the sound in weird and unexpected directions. The guitar and bass often sound out of tune with one another, the effects pedals have every knob turned to 10, and the record’s mix is odd, dominated by a blaring crash cymbal. The vocalist sounds like they’re taking inspiration from the weirdest elements of Sakevi’s vocals in G.I.S.M. There’s still a loose and wild hardcore punk record at the core of El Marcianismo, but it’s coated in a thick layer of weird and unsettling sounds.

Mock Execution: Reality Attack EP 7” (Lengua Armada) Debut vinyl from this Chicago band and it’s one of the freshest-sounding noisy hardcore records I’ve heard lately. It’s clear that the members of Mock Execution like old Finnish hardcore a lot: you can see one of them wearing a Rattus shirt on the insert and they cover “Cops Are Nazi Pigs” by Kaaos. I hear the Finnish influence on tracks like “Is This the Future?” and “Rohingya,” which are blistering hardcore songs built around straightforward, effective riffs. However, “On the Edge (Panic)” and “Protest Is a Way of Life” sound more brutal and over the top, so noisy and chaotic you can barely tell what’s going on. These tracks don’t sound like Confuse / Gai-esque noise-punk, but rather like the 1980 live set in the recent Discharge box set. In other words, it doesn’t sound like the band is imitating a particular band or style, but rather just trying to make the craziest, most brutal sounding noise they can… notes, chords, and structure be damned. The warm, murky recording only adds to the effect, with noise and feedback crashing off one another like waves in a turbulent sea. If you find a lot of current hardcore stylized and sterile, Mock Execution are a perfect antidote to that.

So I'll just get the sad stuff outta the way. While I'm editing this and getting ready to post this it is my next to last day at Sorry State Records. I'm leaving to go to another job for not punk reasons like money and health insurance but am leaving on good terms. I'll probably still be around (they can't get rid of me that easily)
and depending on how my free time works out I might still do some blog posts but will no longer be a full time employee.
It's been a wild five & a half years at the best job I've ever had with the best boss (and overall person), best co-workers and best customers ever. I'm pretty sad to leave but that's just how life goes sometimes.
So new year, new job and some other things changing in my life. So we're gonna start off with a couple things I would like to see change in records in 2019.

1. No more beer colored vinyl. I'm not a huge fan of colored vinyl in general but god am I sick of Beer Colored Vinyl. It's ugly and doesn't look cool. Even as a person who drinks, I think beer really is just kind of lame so stop. Just stop.

2. Polybags with the resealable flap. NOPE
Does anyone like these things? The second I get a record with one I just throw it in the trash. I hate anything that makes listening to records more of a chore (I'm looking at you box sets). Also the adhesive strip seems to stick to everything other than the flap. Let's just do away with them, we will all live better lives without them.

3. Double LP compilations for bands who only put out one 7".This one might not need to completely go away. There are some good compilations from bands who had a very limited amount of releases. I'm not a big fan of live stuff and don't need an lp and a half of poorly recorded live material and a couple of tracks that were never released for a reason. Just give me the 7" and maybe a couple extra tracks.
If you have a bunch of extra stuff maybe just make it available digital, it doesn't all need to be on the record. Again maybe they don't need to go away but maybe we need to revamp how they are done.

4. Picture Discs WHYYYYYYYY. Do they look cool? Yeah ok some of them do (I remember seeing that Holy Molar 10" when I was like 19 and thinking it was super cool) but really it's a novelty that should just go away, maybe make more shaped records, those look cool and don't sound like trash.

5.Oversized JacketsReally? Really!? WHY WHY WHYWHYWHY! Why do this to yourself or anyone else who ever has to ship your record or wants to put your record in a fucking polysleeve. WHAT POSSIBLE LOGICAL REASONINING HOOPS DID YOU JUMP THROUGH TO THINK THAT THIS IS A THING THAT NEEDED TO HAPPEN!
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ok now that you probably just skipped that since it's a big pile of text with no pictures here's my best of 2018 like a month into 2019. There's lots of stuff that I probably forgot about but these were the standouts.
...................................................................................... -B-E-S-T-O-F-2-0-1-8-.................................................................................SBF: Same Beat Forever 12” (Neck Chop Records) – SBF return with a full length! I loved their 7”s and really love this LP. I was floored by how much mean and tough this record is. It still has some of the catchiness of their earlier material but just feels bigger and beefier. Awesome Lp that I know I’ll still be jamming next year.

U-Nix: Nuke Portland 12” (Feel It Records) – What a wild fucking ride. This is like playing B’last at the wrong speed (I’m talkin a 33 at 78). From beginning to end it just makes your head spin. I’d be amazed if this wasn’t on every list.

Idiota Civilizzato: S/T 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) – YES! YES! YES! A perfect punk record from beginning to end. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone made a best of 2018 list that was only this album.

Gen Pop: II 7” (Feel It Records) – Gen Pop is a monster that can’t be stopped. Fun behind the scenes of my life story. My computer kind of died this year and I had to completely wipe it and start from zilch. Now I’m unable to put music on my phone (I’m sure it’s able to be done but I’m kind of an idiot when it comes to computers and technology). No Identity has been on my phone for almost half the year and every time it comes up in the car I get really excited because god is it such a killer song. This ep has such a cool mixture of elements of punk but it all feels natural, it’s never like “This is the hardcore song” it’s just a Gen Pop song.

Public Acid: Easy Weapons 12” (self released) - This record is so good that the band was like “Fuck a label” and put it out themselves. The burliest and heaviest of current hardcore. Makes Discharge sound like Radiohead.

Tozcos: Sueños Deceptivos 12” (Verdugo Discos) – Tozcos 7” a couple years back (wow it’s been 3 years) ruled and I loved it. Would I love a whole LP of Tozcos though? Yes, yes I would. This is so up my alley it’s dumb. It’s fast, mean and catchy. I feel like this one kind of flew under a few radars, which is borderline criminal because of how good it is. It should be on every punk's best of 2018 list. So if you haven’t listened to it yet check it out and buy a copy.

Rubble: S/T 12” (Distort Reality) - You could have told me this record came out in England in the 80s and there’s a good chance I would believe you. Do you love pogo punk? Do you love uk82? Do you love anarcho punk? If you answered yes to any of those then you’re fucking up if you don’t love Rubble and don’t own this LP.

Other Things I Dug From 2018 but ran out of time to write about them:
Rata Negra: Justicia Cosmica 12" Mujeres Podridas: Sobredosis Cassette (Also wins for band name I had the hardest time spelling correctly in 2018)
Number Ones: Another Side Of 7"
Vittna: S/T 7" (this came out like barely at the end, it's amazing and still widly available, get it if you don't have it fool!)
ISS: S/T 7" (I for some reason thought this was in 2017, I would have written about it but you know I've gushed about ISS enough to even cover one of their songs. This band can do all the wrong but it'll still be an amazing song that will be stuck in your head and make you laugh)
Blood Pressure: Surrounded 12" (This rules just really ran out of time to talk about it)
FUUUUUCK I just thought of like a million more things I wanted to add because so many amazing records came out, a lot by really amazing people. These things are always like just asking for me to have a panic attack, this is harder than picking who we would invite to our wedding, we wanted to invite everyone but obviously couldn't afford it. I want to put every amazing thing that went in my earholes and then through my head cavity but of course I can't. To everyone I left out, you're awesome.

TOSS YOUR 2018 FAVORITES IN THE COMMENTS SECTION, ESPECIALLY IF I DIDN'T LIST IT HERE! I KNOW I MISSED SOME STUFF THROUGHOUT THE YEAR OR DIDN'T GIVE ENOUGH ATTENTION TO SOME RELEASES I PROBABLY WOULD TOTALLY DIG. GIVE ME SOME MUSIC FOR MY LIKE 45 MINUTE COMMUTE TO MY NEW JOB!

ps Follow my instagram KilledBySeth for occasional record related idiocy (I've been really slacking about actually posting stuff lately but am trying to make listening to records and writing about them a bigger part of my morning routine)